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Study likens Earth’s evolution to creation of Frankenstein’s monster

The evolution of the first building blocks on Earth may have been messier than previously thought, likening it to the mishmash creation of Frankenstein’s monster.

 science-technology  engineering  dna  chemistry  genetics  basic-research  chemistry-and-chemical-biology  jack-szostak  origins-of-life  rna  science  caitlin-mcdermott-murphy  primordial-soup  prebiotic  seohyun-kim

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Harvard study explores genetics behind evolution of flightless birds

Based on an analysis of the genomes of more than a dozen flightless birds, including an extinct moa, a team led by Harvard researchers found that while different species show wide variety in the protein-coding portions of their genomes, they appear to turn to the same regulatory pathways when evolving flight loss.

 science-technology  evolution  genetics  birds  basic-research  data-science  animals  informatics  tim-sackton

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Harvard geneticist: No population’s DNA is ‘pure’

Geneticist David Reich discusses DNA findings that show how migration shaped Europe and southern Asia, and that “No population is, or ever could be, pure.”

 science-technology  dna  genetics  harvard-medical-school  brett-milano  migration  hms  ancient-humans  david-reich

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At Harvard, a discussion of twins in space

To understand the strain that space flight places on the body, NASA-affiliated researcher Brinda Rana has been examining the molecular changes in the twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly for five years.

 science-technology  space  medicine  genetics  basic-research  brinda-rana  mark-kelly  nasa  radcliffe-institute-for-advanced-study  scott-kelly  twins

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At Harvard, a discussion of twins in space

To understand the strain that space flight places on the body, NASA-affiliated researcher Brinda Rana has been examining the molecular changes in the twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly for five years.

 science-technology  space  medicine  genetics  basic-research  brinda-rana  mark-kelly  nasa  radcliffe-institute-for-advanced-study  scott-kelly  twins

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