DDR DNA The Adam Lanza Gene Someone started the rumor that UConn geneticists were going to be studying Adam Lanza's DNA, presumably to determine if he had any unique DNA characteristics. The theory here was that certain... By: TyrannyNewsNetwork … Continue reading →

DNA tests done in South Africa indicate that the rhino horns allegedly discovered in the luggage of three Chinese men at Hosea Kutako International Airport at the end of March were of Namibian origin. This was revealed by the national head of the police Protected Resources Unit, Detective Chief Inspector Barry de Klerk, during a bail hearing in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court in Katutura on Friday. De Klerk told Magistrate George Mbundu that samples from the 14 rhino horns found in two suitcases at the airport were sent to South Africa for a DNA analysis to be carried out. The DNA profiles of the samples were compared to DNA profiles on record in the Rhino DNA Index System (RhODIS) database, and the results showed that all of the horns came from Namibia, De Klerk testified. The RhODIS database was developed by the University of Pretoria's Veterinary Generics Laboratory with the aim of keeping a record of the unique DNA profile of individual rhinos, which could then be used to prove the origin of rhino horns confiscated from suspected smugglers. De Klerk said one of the horns found in the suitcases at the airport was micro-chipped; it came from a white … Continue reading →

Infertility is generally thought of as a womans problem. In fact, more than 3 million men across America also experience it. Today, researchers from Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory describe a key event during sperm development that is essential for male fertility. A team led by CSHL Professor Alea Mills explains how a protein controls DNA packaging to protect a mans genetic information. The sperm is a simple delivery vehicle for a mans genetic information. The highly specialized cell is little more than a DNA bundle powered by molecular motors. As such, it is necessarily tiny: from head to tail a sperm cell is only about 50 micrometers long (1/500th of an inch), invisible to the naked eye. An egg is 30 times larger. The sperms small size has its benefits less bulk to carry while searching for an egg but it also presents significant challenges. A mans genetic material must be very tightly packaged to fit within a minuscule space. This organizational problem is not unique to sperm. Every cell in our body contains a full human genome, which spans nearly two meters (6ft) if unfurled. To contain this massive length of DNA, cells tightly compress our genetic information. In … Continue reading →