Category Archives: Transhuman News

Our DNA is very similar to that of the chimpanzee, which in evolutionary terms is our closest living relative. Stem cell researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now found a previously overlooked part of our DNA, so-called non-coded DNA, that appears to contribute to a differencewhich, despite all our similarities, may explain why our brains work differently. The study is published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

The chimpanzee is our closest living relative in evolutionary terms and research suggests our kinship derives from a common ancestor. About five to six million years ago, our evolutionary paths separated, leading to the chimpanzee of today, and Homo Sapiens, humankind in the 21st century.

In a new study, stem cell researchers at Lund examined what it is in our DNA that makes human and chimpanzee brains different and they have found answers.

Instead of studying living humans and chimpanzees, we used stem cells grown in a lab. The stem cells were reprogrammed from skin cells by our partners in Germany, the USA and Japan. Then we examined the stem cells that we had developed into brain cells, explains Johan Jakobsson, professor of neuroscience at Lund University, who led the study.

Using the stem cells, the researchers specifically grew brain cells from humans and chimpanzees and compared the two cell types. The researchers then found that humans and chimpanzees use a part of their DNA in different ways, which appears to play a considerable role in the development of our brains.

The part of our DNA identified as different was unexpected. It was a so-called structural variant of DNA that were previously called junk DNA, a long repetitive DNA string which has long been deemed to have no function. Previously, researchers have looked for answers in the part of the DNA where the protein-producing genes are which only makes up about two percent of our entire DNA and examined the proteins themselves to find examples of differences.

The new findings thus indicate that the differences appear to lie outside the protein-coding genes in what has been labeled as junk DNA, which was thought to have no function and which constitutes the majority of our DNA.

This suggests that the basis for the human brains evolution are genetic mechanisms that are probably a lot more complex than previously thought, as it was supposed that the answer was in those two percent of the genetic DNA. Our results indicate that what has been significant for the brains development is instead perhaps hidden in the overlooked 98 percent, which appears to be important. This is a surprising finding.

The stem cell technique used by the researchers in Lund is revolutionary and has enabled this type of research. The technique was recognized by the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. It was the Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka who discovered that specialized cells can be reprogrammed and developed into all types of body tissue. And in the Lund researchers case, into brain cells. Without this technique, it would not have been possible to study the differences between humans and chimpanzees using ethically defensible methods.

Why did the researchers want to investigate the difference between humans andchimpanzees?

I believe that the brain is the key to understanding what it is that makes humans human. How did it come about that humans can use their brain in such a way that they can build societies, educate their children and develop advanced technology? It is fascinating!

Johan Jakobsson believes that in the future the new findings may also contribute to genetically-based answers to questions about psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, a disorder that appears to be unique to humans.

But there is a long way to go before we reach that point, as instead of carrying out further research on the two percent of coded DNA, we may now be forced to delve deeper into all 100 percent a considerably more complicated task for research, he concludes.

Reference: A cis-acting structural variation at the ZNF558 locus controls a gene regulatory network in human brain development by Pia A. Johansson, Per Ludvik Bratts, Christopher H. Douse, PingHsun Hsieh, Anita Adami, Julien Pontis, Daniela Grassi, Raquel Garza, Edoardo Sozzi, Rodrigo Cataldo, Marie E. Jnsson, Diahann A.M. Atacho, Karolina Pircs, Feride Eren, Yogita Sharma, Jenny Johansson, Alessandro Fiorenzano, Malin Parmar, Malin Fex, Didier Trono, Evan E. Eichler and Johan Jakobsson, 7 October 2021, Cell Stem Cell.DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2021.09.008

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What Makes Us Human? The Answer May Be Found in Overlooked Junk DNA - SciTechDaily

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. & PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DNA Script, a leader in Enzymatic DNA Synthesis (EDS), today announced the appointment of Don Kania, Ph.D. as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Catherine Moukheibir as Audit Chair and Bonnie Anderson as independent new members of the Board. With decades of life sciences experience among them, they will play a key role in steering the companys strategy to deploy its SYNTAX Platform and the EDS technology.

I firmly believe DNA Scripts EDS technology will have a profound impact on genomics and synthetic biology. The life sciences industry is in the process of revolutionizing our world, starting with healthcare and expanding into other markets. This is an incredibly exciting time for the company, Kania said. I have spent my career helping companies grow into life science leaders. I am looking forward to applying my experience and working closely with the Board and the companys leadership and founders to expand the applications of EDS and grow DNA Scripts DNA-on-demand offerings.

For over thirty years, Kania has been an influential member of the life sciences industry. Notably, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of FEI Company from 2006 until 2016, when the company was sold to Thermo-Fisher for $4.2 billion. Kania currently advises several startups and serves on a number of boards that span the life sciences and nonprofit sectors.

Moukheibir brings over 30 years of leadership experience in finance, capital markets and life sciences to DNA Script. Most recently, Moukheibir was the chair and CEO of MedDay Pharmaceuticals. She currently serves on the Board of Directors at Asceneuron, Biotalys, CMR Surgical, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Inc and Orphazyme. Prior to her current roles, she has held senior management positions at several European biotech companies following an initial career in strategy consulting and investment banking in Boston and London.

Andersons career spans over 40 years in regulated diagnostics and life science markets. She co-founded Veracyte in 2008 and served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board until June 1, 2021, when she assumed the role of Executive Chairwoman. She led Veracytes initial public offering in 2013, spearheaded commercialization of its market-leading products, and was the architect of the companys vision to become a global enterprise with a growing menu of advanced genomic diagnostics tests and its own distributed instrument platform.

DNA Script is at a pivotal point with the targeted commercial launch of our SYNTAX Platform, said Thomas Ybert, DNA Script co-founder and CEO. We now have the first, initial demonstration of the true promise of EDS technology the ability to produce quick, clean, and high quality synthetic DNA in a benchtop solution to expedite life science discoveries. This is only the beginning; we have barely started. As we continue to expand the company and explore what is possible with EDS technology, the new board members partnership and counsel will be invaluable.

About DNA Script

Founded in 2014, DNA Script is a pioneering life sciences technology company developing a new, faster, more powerful and versatile way to design and manufacture nucleic acids. The company has developed an alternative to traditional DNA synthesis called enzymatic DNA synthesis, or EDS, allowing this technology to be accessible to labs with the first benchtop enzymatic synthesis instrument, the SYNTAX System. By putting DNA synthesis back in the lab, DNA Script aims to transform life sciences research through innovative technology that gives researchers unprecedented control and autonomy. http://www.dnascript.com

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DNA Script Appoints Don Kania as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Catherine Moukheibir as Audit Chair and Bonnie Anderson as Independent Director -...

The The faces of three mummies identical to ancient Egypt They were reconstructed by a group of scientists in a laboratory in the United States, and they also found that they belonged to a community that was on the banks of the Nile, after analyzing their DNA sequences more than 2,000 years ago.

To the authors of the study, presented this month parabon nanolabs in florida, It is the first time that advanced techniques have been used to predict observable traits and phenotypes from very ancient human DNA.

as revealed Country, the three mummies correspond to men about 25 years old, with colored skin Light brown, while his eyes and hair were dark and freckled.

Current technological advances can reach such a level that it is even considered that they were Jews, and they may be of ancestry from Yemen, Morocco and Tunisia.

We were all surprised and amazed to see that the DNA was no longer similar to the DNA of modern Egyptians () And that, of the three faces, only one looked Egyptian, and the others were southern European to me, and this is in fact what we also see in the lineage: that these people were, hereditary, More similar to the peoples of the Mediterranean of the people who are currently in Egypt Elaine McCray, Director of Bioinformatics at Parabon NanoLabs.

Researchers Code numbers assigned to each of the mummiesWhereas JK2134, the oldest, was found to have been alive between the years 776 and 569 BC, while JK2911 is from the year 769 and 560 from the same time, and JK2888 could have been around the years 97 and 2.

DNA helped preserve it The origin of the three mummies was from an archaeological site located next to the Nile River called Abu Sir al-Malaq. It is located in central Egypt and has been inhabited since at least then 3250 BC Until about 700 years from the same era, Spanish media reported.

If you genetically compare these individuals to the modern population, their DNA was more Similar to individuals from Yemen, Tunisia and MoroccoIt is not so much for the people who live in Egypt today, the researcher said.

He also added that sThey may have come from other parts of the Mediterranean, and they do not show any African ancestry, while the modern Egyptians do.

The same specialist assures that, just as it was possible to reveal data through DNA 2000 years ago, it is also possible to perform an analysis using an analysis 50 years ago.

The European Nucleotide Archive, through its open data, also helped form the foundation on which the company has produced more than thousands of individuals with their DNA. Facial features are identified using predictive models when the samples are from people they dont know.

Analysis has become the search for pieces of the puzzle, primarily because of DNA He was severely affected by the exposure to which he was exposed for years with the environment. El Pas emphasizes that even when cleaning up bacteria, a lot of data has been lost.

Using the assumption of low coverage, the specialists were able to work out what data to collect on the mummies statistically.

With the data coming to us, we were unable to perform this analysis () This really shows how powerful these techniques are for challenging samples, the expert said.

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They reconstructed the faces of 3 Egyptian mummies using DNA 2000 years ago - Sunday Vision

Over the last 60 years, advancements in technology have allowed humans to travel to space without much hassle. A record number of humans went to space this year, thanks to the intense competition and rivalry between budding private space firms in the U.S, as well as new interests and initiatives from Russia and China.

Billionaires raced to become the first civilians in space, while Russia successfully sent a crew of civilian film makers to the International Space Station, and China is building its own space station to rival the ISS.

Despite the advancements, space is still extremely dangerous to humans. Toxic radiation from the sun, and outer space, as well as the stress it puts on the natural processes of the body can be extremely daunting to manage.

Research concerning the impacts of micro-, and zero-gravity have been extremely low until recently. Therefore, our understanding of space and its effects on the human body, especially in the long term has been extremely limited.

Unsurprising, new research has found that the DNA of astronauts who took brief trips to the International Space Station leaked out of their cells energy powerhouse.

In a paper published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers have revealed that the blood samples from 14 NASA astronauts, taken after their trips to the ISS, contained free-floating mitochondrial DNA.

The astronauts all took relatively brief space flights varying from five to thirteen days to the International Space Station. The Blood samples were taken 10 days prior to launch and three days after their return to earth.

Mitochondria is part of a cell that generates the cell's energy and is therefore called the powerhouse. These special portions of the cells contain their own DNA, and when the Mitochondria undergoes stress, the DNA can be released, leading to cellular damage and other problems elsewhere in the persons body.

Prior research has shown that if the mitochondria stop working normally, it can trigger problems that lead to heart failure.

"It's a vicious circle: Radiation may induce DNA damage, which may induce oxidative stress, which leads to inflammation, which can lead to DNA damage," said David Goukassian, lead author of the paper and a professor of cardiology at the Icahn School of Medicine, New York, in a press release.

Cover Image: Shutterstock

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NASA Astronauts Who Briefly Visited The ISS Had Free-Flowing DNA In Their Blood - Mashable India

NEW YORK & SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Genome Project-write (GP-write) welcomes DNA Script as one of the newest members of its Industrial Advisory Board (IAB). Together with DNA Script and other members, the IAB aims to develop a virtual foundry and incubator to streamline genome-writing, accelerate the typical design-build-test workflow and advance deep algorithmic learning to reduce workflow costs and timing. The first version of GP-writes computer-aided design (CAD) tool for whole genome design will be unveiled at the virtual GP-write 5.0 conference, October 21-22.

GP-writes CAD is a one-stop shop for microbe, plant and animal genome writing and redesign. Its automated workflow allows users to rapidly upload a genome, redesign it and synthesize the new sequence. The tool enables researchers to directly order synthetic DNA or related products and services from GP-writes affiliated members.

DNA Scripts SYNTAX System, a benchtop DNA printer powered by their groundbreaking enzymatic DNA synthesis (EDS) technology, enables users to print sequences designed on GP-writes CAD tool right in their lab. The first-of-its-kind DNA printer expedites workflows, making DNA writing as simple and efficient as next-generation sequencing.

DNA Script will host a roundtable at the GP-write 5.0 conference on October 22 at 12:30 p.m. ET to engage attendees in a discussion centered on biosecurity as it relates to emerging technologies, including GP-writes new CAD tool and DNA Scripts SYNTAX System.

Were pleased to join GP-write and their industrial partners to drive innovation on the forefront of DNA printing technologies, said Thomas Ybert, co-founder and CEO of DNA Script. Just as NGS, or DNA 'read,' and CRISPR, or DNA 'edit,' have brought significant advances to research and clinical care, we believe the broad accessibility of synthetic DNA printing, or DNA 'write,' offered by our SYNTAX System will be equally transformative and power the next bio-revolution.

GP-write President and General Counsel, Amy Cayne Schwartz, notes that the organizations are partnering to work toward realizing a shared vision of a future where writing genomes is facile, democratized and safely accessible. Schwartz explains that this will open up new frontiers for development of novel therapeutics and solutions for environmental health.

About Genome Project-write

GP-write, conceived as a sequel to the Human Genome Project, applies lessons learned from HGP to pursue scientific exploration fully integrated with the development of genome engineering technologies. The primary goal of the project is to drive dramatic cost reductions and expedite whole-genome writing and redesign over the next decade, empowering researchers to uncover complex biological behavior and reprogram organisms to address defining global challenges in medicine, biotechnology and environmental health. https://engineeringbiologycenter.org.

About DNA Script

Founded in 2014, DNA Script is a pioneering life sciences technology company developing a new, faster, more powerful and versatile way to design and manufacture nucleic acids. The company has developed an alternative to traditional DNA synthesis called Enzymatic DNA Synthesis, or EDS, allowing this technology to be accessible to labs with the first benchtop enzymatic synthesis instrument, the SYNTAX System. By putting DNA synthesis back in the lab, DNA Script aims to transform life sciences research through innovative technology that gives researchers unprecedented control and autonomy. http://www.dnascript.com.

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GP-write Partners with DNA Script to Accelerate DNA-Writing Technology and Accessibility - Business Wire

Intwo weeks'time, Australia will stop for a few minutes to watch the winner of the Melbourne Cup gallop into history.

But the story of the horses in this race begins long before the powerful steedsspring out of the barriers.

The genes of these sleek thoroughbreds can be traced back 4,200 years to the grasslands between the Volga and Don Rivers in Russia.

This is where and when the ancestors of all modern horses, from flighty thoroughbreds to stocky workhorses, were first domesticated, according to a new study that claims tofinally settle a longstanding mystery.

Within just a few centuries, thesehorses had spread right acrossAsia and Europe, said the study's lead author Ludovic Orlando, director of the Centre for Anthrobiology and Genomics of Toulouse.

"This is one of those historical turning points that we identify," Professor Orlando said.

"It's the moment when the world became modern to some extent for the first time."

The study, which was published in the journalNature,suggests genes that made these animalsmore docile and robust gave them the leg-up in the evolutionary race.

Paired with later innovations such as spoked-wheelchariots, they helped shapehuman civilisation.

Professor Orlando has spent the past decade trying to pinpoint just where and whenhorses were first domesticated.

It was oncethought thattoday's horses rose from a group that was domesticated for their meat and milk by Botai herdersfurther to the east in Kazakhstan, around 5,500 years ago.

But a previous study by Professor Orlando and colleagues establishedthese horses, even though they were likely to be domesticated, were not related to modern horses.

Instead, they were genetically similar toPrzewalski'shorse, a different speciesor subspecies of horsethat has been reintroduced into Mongolia, where it runs wild.

"The Botaihorses did not give rise to the present-day genetic variation present in horses today," Professor Orlando said.

"It was clear we needed something else to start looking at this old archaeologicaldebate."

So the 160-strong team decided to map the genomes and date fossils from allof the different groups of horses known to have existed in Eurasia between 50,000 BC and 200 BC.

They gathered remains from 273 ancient horses from locationsincluding Siberia, Iberia, Anatolia and the steppes of Western Eurasia and Central Asia, and compared these with the modern horse genome.

They identified four separate groups of horses.

Theearliest ancestorsof the modern horse came from Siberia, but the closest genetic match to horses we know today came from the lowerDon-Volga region, north of the Black and Caspian Seas.

"The region we nail down is pretty narrow, about 500 kilometres [in area]," Professor Orlando said.

Within a few centuries, the genetic imprint hadstarted to appear in Anatolia and Kazakhstan, and by 3,500 years ago they were everywhere.

"It goes really fast, it almost takes place overnight."

But this is more than a story about the movement ofhorse genes.

Around 5,000 years ago, there was a mass migrationof nomadic herders known as the Yamnaya from the Western Steppes westinto Europe.

The archaeological and DNA recordshowsthese big-boned people brought with themnew languages and contributed up to 30 per cent of the genetic heritage of people in Europe today, said study co-author Morten Allentoftof Curtin University.

"One of the main speculations was thathorse domesticationfacilitated the movements of these humans," Professor Allentoft said.

Although the Yamnaya took horses with them, possibly as meat and milk, genetic mapping in the study reveals theywere not the ancestors of domesticated horses today.

"This is not the lineage we know today because it wasn't optimised for carrying people," Professor Allentoft said.

Instead, the spread of the horse as we know it appears to be aligned with the later movement east into Asia by another civilisation known as the Sintashta.

"This is a warrior culture that has a very advanced weapon industry," Professor Allentoft said.

The genetic evidence shows theSintashta bred huge numbers of horses that were suitable for riding over long distances and going into battle.

Sweeps of the genomes reveal changes in two regions that are still present in modern-day horses.

One is the mutation of a genecalled GSDMC, which is associated with narrowing of nerve canals in the spinal vertebrae, back pain, and difficulty walking in humans.

The other is the mutation ofa gene called ZFPMI, which is associated with anxiety in other animals such as mice.

A few centuriesafter theSintashtatamed their horses, they developed a new weapon: the spoked-wheel chariot.

These vehicles were much lighter and faster than solid wheel carts used by other civilisations such as the Yamnaya.

With superior horses and chariots, the Sintashta conquered Central Asia,resulting in an almost complete turnover of human and horse genetics in this region.

Valued for their chestnut-coloured coats, endurance and temperament, the lineage of horses first bred on the Western Steppesalso became a commodity and status symbolin Europe and in the Levant.

"They reachedall parts of Europe, even the northernmost parts, then replacedthe local breeds because they were much better adapted," Professor Allentoft said.

By the late Bronze Age around 1500 BC to 1000 BC, the horseshad replaced all the local populations, the study found.

Claire Wade, an animal geneticist at the University of Sydney, said the series of dates revealed by the genetics presented in the paper was very convincing.

"The overwhelming evidence in this paper suggested that domesticated horses came from the Western Steppes area," she said.

Professor Wade, who led a team that sequenced the modern horse genome in 2009, said piecing the history of evolution together using genetics provided a clearer picture thanusing archaeological records alone.

"A lot of presumed theory has been based on archaeological findings but the thing with genetics is that [genes]kind of don't lie," she said.

"99.9 per centof the time [DNA] is highly accurate and when you work in genomics, you really see how evolution works every day."

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Through a process known as genetic drift, new mutations comealong, and processes such as selective breeding can make mutations disappear.

"Now they know who the ancestor was they've been able to step back in time in that ancestral lineage and compare [the four groups] andidentifythe genes that have changed most along that gradient."

The question is whether or not the two genes identified were really instrumental in the taming of the horse, and if they are now fixed in modern horses.

"In my experience, things rarely get absolutely or utterly fixed," Professor Wade said.

"There arestill those wild genes or those old genes that float around in the population at lowfrequencies.

"So it might be interesting to see if those genes drift away in brumbies, to see if the reverse can happen."

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Horses were first domesticated in Russia around 4,200 years ago, DNA study reveals - ABC News