
Could this ancient burial site be the oldest lethal plague outbreak?
Graves of hunter-gatherers in Siberia point to a deadly disease outbreak dating to some 5,500 years ago, a new DNA analysis finds

Could this ancient burial site be the oldest lethal plague outbreak?
Graves of hunter-gatherers in Siberia point to a deadly disease outbreak dating to some 5,500 years ago, a new DNA analysis finds

Chee-Huat Linus Eng
Creating techniques to allow scientists to see biological processes in real time


Ancient ground squirrels feasted on carcasses like ‘zombies of the Pleistocene’
Fossilized poo harbors remains from mammoths, bison and big cats, including some of the oldest DNA ever reconstructed

How DNA forensics is transforming studies of ancient manuscripts
Scientists are exposing the biological information hidden in ancient parchments without leaving a mark

DNA analysis claiming new origins for the Shroud of Turin doesn't hold up, experts say
A metagenomic study of this cloth, controversially purported to bear the imprint of the body of Jesus Christ, has little to say about the relic’s origins

Identical twins on trial: can DNA testing tell them apart?
In a French criminal trial, conventional DNA analysis couldn’t distinguish between twin brothers, but emerging scientific methods could help in such cases

Napoleon’s Defeat in Russia Was Aided by Two Surprising Deadly Diseases
Disease-causing bacteria that have been recently discovered in the teeth of Napoleonic soldiers may have spurred the massive infantry’s demise during its retreat from Russia

How RNA Unseated DNA as the Most Important Molecule in Your Body
DNA holds our genetic blueprints, but its cousin, RNA, conducts our daily lives

Life on Earth May Have Been Jump-Started by ‘Microlightning’
Charged water droplets generate sparks that can forge organic compounds

How Neandertal DNA May Affect the Way We Think
DNA inherited from Neandertals may influence modern human cognition

Jumping ‘Numts’ from Mitochondria Can Be Fast and Deadly
Bits of DNA from mitochondria can skip surprisingly fast into our genome and may reduce lifespan

Genetic Testing Is a Gift. But It Shouldn’t be a Present
Think twice before giving direct-to-consumer genetic testing kits to friends and loved ones