Capital Wired

Keeps You Updated

Thursday, February 25, 2021
Log in
  • Headlines
  • Business
  • Health
  • Tech & Science
  • Sports
  • World
  • US
  • Latest News
    • How To Make Your Own Home-Brewed Morphine
    • Using Mouthwash Too Often Puts You at Risk of Obesity and Diabetes
    • Walmart to Solve its Supply Chain Issues and Further Cut Down on Costs
    • The World’s Most Expensive Christmas Decorations
    • Netflix Hopes to Balance Data Limit With Great Video Quality
    • Joji Morishita says Japan Will Resume Whaling
    • The Most Beloved Plastic Surgeries Among Americans
    • Skype for Web Allows Non-Users to Take Part In Its Online Chats

Pages

  • About Capital Wired
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Reprint & Licensing
  • Staff
  • Terms of Use

Recent Posts

  • Here’s Why Your Brain Keeps Worrying about Everything June 29, 2018
  • Don’t Throw That Sunscreen after Summer Is Up June 29, 2018
  • Analysts: Currency War between U.S. and China Might Be Looming June 28, 2018
  • Starbucks Rival The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Opening 100 Shops June 27, 2018
  • Study Finds We Are Alone in the Universe June 26, 2018
  • Restaurant Owner Not Sorry for Booting Sarah Sanders June 26, 2018
  • Beware of the Hidden Salt in Your Food! June 25, 2018

A New Type Of Malaria Parasites Has Been Found In White-Tailed Deer

February 10, 2016 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

Two distinct forms of malaria in U.S. are infecting white-tailed deer.

Two distinct forms of malaria in U.S. are infecting white-tailed deer.

According to the latest news, a new type of malaria parasites has been found in white-tailed deer in the United States.

The research revealed that as many as one in four whitetail deer in some parts of the U.S. may carry malaria. Even though the strain is considered non-threatening to people, the findings raise questions about whether the parasite is affecting deer populations, and how, if so.

This news comes as a surprise, since deer are one of the better-studied wild animals; they are some of the more populous mammals and very popular game species for hunting, and they are often surveyed for disease.

So why, given the amount of research done on deer, haven’t more scientists discovered malaria among whitetails?

Ellen Martinsen, lead author of the paper and a postdoctoral fellow, stated that, because the level of infection is so low, the parasite is hard to detect with a traditional microscope; it took special equipment at the National Zoo to trace malaria in mosquitoes back to deer.

The team of researchers found the parasite accidentally when they were looking at DNA within the blood of mosquitoes at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. In a mosquito engorged with deer blood, they noticed the presence of genetic material that they didn’t recognize.

According to further analysis, it has been revealed that the genetic material came from a protozoan in the genus Plasmodium. The results of the study were published last Friday in the journal Science Advances.

Firstly, species in the genus Plasmodium are known as malarial parasites. The genus includes several species that spread malaria in humans, while other varieties infect nonhuman mammals, birds and reptiles. There are about 200 species worldwide in this genus.

In this recent study, scientists sampled blood from deer in 17 states and found 41 infected animals in 10 states; nearly 25 percent of the deer from Virginia and West Virginia had the parasite. None of these deer seemed to have any symptoms, however.

The findings are unlikely to have a direct impact on humans since Plasmodium odocoilei infects ungulates specifically, said study coauthor Joseph Schall of the University of Vermont in the press release. However, he added, they do highlight the link between human health and wider ecological systems.

There’s a sudden surge in interest in mosquito biology across the United States. This is a reminder of the importance of parasite surveys and basic natural history.

Schall said.

Although there was one scientific record of a malarial parasite found in a deer’s spleen in 1967, this is the first proof of a widely established malaria parasite in New World mammals, and it expands scientists’ knowledge of the malarial family tree.

All in all, not only does the discovery change our current understanding of malaria’s distribution and history in mammals, but it also allows scientists to date the split between the two forms of malaria present in white-tailed deer. And, last but not least, it points to malaria as a disease native to the Americas that resided for millions of years.

Image Source: www.sciencealert.com

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: deer, DNA, Ellen Martinsen, infection, malaria, malaria disease, malaria parasites, mammals, National Zoo, parasite, Plasmodium, Smithsonian, white-tailed deer, whitetails

Horse Domestication History Revealed By Ancient DNA

December 16, 2014 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

Ancient-DNA-reveal-history-of-horse-domestication

Speed, smarts, and the heart of a champion: utilizing genomic investigation, researchers have recognized DNA changes that helped transform aged horses, for example, those in ancient cavern art into today’s Secretariats and Black Beauty, specialists reported Monday.

Understanding the hereditary changes implicated in equine domestication, which prior studies followed to the windswept steppes of Eurasia 5,500 years back, has long been high on the list of things to get of evolutionary geneticists as of the vital part that taming wild horses played in the advancement of society.

When traders, officers and voyagers could jog instead of simply walk, it transformed trade, combat, the movement of individuals and the transmission of thoughts. It likewise empowered the advancement of continent sized domains like the Scythians 2,500 years back in what is presently Iran.

“It was all made possible by 125 genes,” as indicated by the findings of the study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Identified with skeletal muscles, parity, coordination, and heart quality, they delivered traits so alluring that old raisers chose horses for them, said geneticist Ludovic Orlando of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, who conducted the study. The result was based on eras of horses personalized for chariotry, pulling plows, and racing.

Genes active in the cerebrum likewise experienced assortment. Variations connected to social conduct, learning, terror reaction, and friendliness are all more profuse in domesticated horses.

The disclosure of the hereditary premise for horse domestication was bound to happen as no wild relatives of antiquated breeds survive. The closest is the Przewalski’s horse. By contrasting domesticated species with their wild relatives, researchers made sense of how organic entities as distinctive as rice, tomatoes and the dogs got to be tamed.

With no truly wild horses to study, Orlando’s group analyzed DNA from 29 horse bones found in the Siberian permafrost and dating from 16,000 and 43,000 years back, and contrasted it with DNA from five advanced domesticated breeds.

A few genes in today’s horses were missing overall from the antiquated ones, indicating they emerged from late transformations. Among them: a short-distance “speed gene” that pushes each Kentucky Derby champ.

Geneticists not included in the study proposed that examining equine DNA from around the time of domestication, instead of centuries back, may demonstrate more evidently what hereditary changes happened as horses were domesticated.

“Contrasting aged genomes with present day genomes is precarious,” said Arne Ludwig of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin.

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: 2500 years back, 5500 years back, Arne Ludwig, DNA, Eurasia, Genes, Geneticists, Horse domestication, Kentucky Derby, Orlando's group, Przewalski's horse, Scythians

Scientists Discover the Gene That Can Transform Wild Horses into Domestic Ones

December 16, 2014 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

genetic alteration in horses

Researchers discovered that DNA changes can turn an ancient horse into today’s Secretariats.   It unveils that almost 125 genes are responsible for the process of equine domestication.

Beth Shapiro, co author of the study states that this is the most comprehensive list of gene candidate. Generally, humans who love domestic horses prefer these genes in horses. The extensive lists of these genes also play a significant role in the development of bones and muscles.  Hence, it uncovers the genes transform wild horses into a domestic one.

These 125 genes are associated with muscles, coordination and cardiac strength. Especially the gene found in brain is associated with the domestic behavior of horses. It increases the fear response, learning and agreeableness in the wild horse. Usually, ancient breeders favored these characteristics of horses a lot.

Moreover, the study unearthed that the entire procedure of domestication provide a great help in the collection of lethal gene mutation. These deadly genes are not present in the modern horses any more.

The geneticists who are not included in the study propose that examination of equine DNA evidently demonstrates the genetic alteration of tamed horse.

Luidovic Orlando, the author of the report state that these genes are the essential for the transformation of wild animals into more passive domestic ones.

The study published in the Journal of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: DNA, domestication, gene mutation, Genes, Horses, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, wild horses

Research Reveals: Why Birds Have Beak Instead of Teeth?

December 15, 2014 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

 

birds

A group of researchers strived hard to determine the reason why birds have no teeth. The study divulges that birds lost their teeth around 166 million years ago.

The biologists of the UC Riverside along with researchers of the Montclair State University carried out the study. The researchers used the remnants of 48 tooth genes in birds to find the exact time period when birds lost teeth. The report confirms that modern birds are originated from toothed ancestors.

Mark Springer, main author of the study informs that dead genes of birds gave an insight regarding the teeth of bird. It revealed that beak is a kind of characteristics of modern bird.  The team of experts claims that the common ancestor of birds is theropod dinosaur. It symbolizes the toothless and enamel-less vertebrates in birds.

Moreover, the study reveals that modern birds usually use beaks to grind food. The process is a part of their digestive tract.

The development of teeth in vertebrates is a pretty complicate procedure that involves several genes. Among the entire gene, six genes play a vital role in the formation of the enamel and dentin. However, these genes are inactive in most of the modern birds.

In a nutshell, the research proposes that the genetic system required for the creation of teeth was lost in the ancestor of birds.

The study is printed in 12th December’s edition of Journal Science

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: birds, DNA, Journal Science, Montclair State University, teeth, Toothles birds

Clinical Trial of Ebola Antiviral Drugs Will Begin in December

November 13, 2014 By Jason Leathers Leave a Comment

new Ebola Experimental drug

Doctors without Boards declared that researchers intend to begin the clinical experiment of two Ebola therapies in December. Experts expect to get the results of the three experimental drugs till the end of February 2015.

The medical humanitarian group informed that the tests will be carried out on the patients of treatment center of Guinea.  The Ebola outburst slammed Guinea really badly.

As per the reports of World Health Organization around 15,000 Ebola cases are diagnosed in Guinea, Sierra Leona and Liberia.

The studies will examine the therapies that are currently in use of Europe and USA for the cure of Ebola. These antiviral drugs are brincidofvir and favipiravir. The Chinmerix Inc of Durham developed brincidofovir in order to treat the infections DNA containing virus.  It is considered as the modified version of an antiviral drug known as cidofovir. It averts the progression of several DNA viruses such as herpes viruses and poxviruses.

On the other hand, favipiravir is manufactured by Toyama Chemical Unit situated in Japan.  It is a medicine which is utilized for the cure of influenza, West Nile Virus, Yellow fever Virus and foot and mouth disease. Currently, the dug is being sold under the name of Avigan.

Researchers will observe the number of patients that survived after the use of these medications.  Moreover, experts notified that they are presently designing the appropriate method for this experiment.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: DNA, drugs, ebola, experiment, Guinea, Liberia, result, Sierra Leona, World Health Organization

Remnants of Ice Age Infants Unearthed in Alaskan Funeral Ground

November 12, 2014 By Jason Leathers Leave a Comment

Ice-Age-Infants-unearthed-in-Alaskan-funeral-ground

Recently, the archaeologists have unearthed the remnants of two Ice Age infants in the Alaskan funeral ground, a find researchers call the youngest human remains from that era discovered in northern American region.

Archaeologists state that a search site situated in central Alaska might hold fascinating coverts pertinent to the first United States natives. Excavations from the Upward Sun River site, regarded as the earliest funeral ground ever located in the region, produced the cremated remains of the three years old child. The archaeologists, who unearthed his ashes around 4 years ago revealed that he boy might have died around 11,500 years ago.

After 3 years, the scientists also discovered the graves of 2 more children, this time infants. Researchers examined the remains, identifying that one of them might have died soon after being birthed. Another grave held the remains of the 12-week old child. The dead bodies were well maintained to extract and evaluate genetic information from these two rare finds.

“DNA analysis could easily unlock coverts about these children,” John Hoffecker in the College of Colorado stated.

Moreover, the study team also unearthed some ancient weapons that were buried with the infant children. These weapons, mainly made of stone and antler, were found roughly 15 ft deep in the same place where the first cremated remains of the first child were discovered 4 years ago.

“The existence of several burials inside the same historical feature has some serious implications. Probably the most common options would be that the site may have been occupied for an extended period of time than what many researchers had believed,” the National Science Foundation, which assisted in digging up the search site, stated.

“The archaeologists also discovered the long-dead remains of ground squirrels along with a fish much like a modern-day salmon inside the funeral site. This signifies that Upward Sun River was prone to happen to be a location where a minimum of one group of hunter-gatherers flocked within the summer months, when these creatures could have been more plentiful,” NSF added.

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: 11500 years ago, Alaska, Alaskan Funeral ground, DNA, grave, Ice Age, infants, John Hoffecker, National Science Foundation, NSF, Upward Sun River

Ancient Russian Skeleton Uncovered- Report Says

November 7, 2014 By Brian Galloway Leave a Comment

Skeleton of ancient European

Researchers extracted DNA from a man who lives approximately 37,000 years ago in Russia.  The DNA offered some really significant information regarding the genetic history of Europeans.

The most important thing that DNA reveals is the early interbreeding of man with the Neanderthals.  Neanderthals lived in Europe nearly 54,000 years ago.

Experts make use of the DNA from the left tibia of that man in order to classify the genome of the most ancient man of Europe.

The scientists named that man “Kostenki”. Kostenki is the name of a Russian village from where the skeleton was discovered around 60 years ago.  It makes easier for scientists to figure out when Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbreed.

Moreover, it offers a few evidence of interaction between people of Middle East and European hunter gathers.  This proof indicates towards the exact time when man lived in Kostenki village that is 36,200 to 38,700 years ago.

Till that time the people of western Eurasia broke up with the people of East Asia.  Afterwards they left for different continents, as per the reports of genetic makeup.

This study permits experts to solve the mystery if modern human populations. This skeleton is the second oldest genome ever found of the modern man.

Ramus Nielsen, Professor of computational biology stated that scientists are aware of the fact that this individual is connected to modern Europeans.  They also know that a large number of genetic structures of Europe are associated with the time period of this skeleton.

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: DNA, East Asia, Europe, genetic history, genome, Homo sapiens, interbreeding, Kostenki, middle east, Neanderthals, Russian village, Skeleton

Oldest Human Genome- 45,000 Year Old Neanderthals Femur Bone

October 24, 2014 By Jason Leathers Leave a Comment

Ancient bone

A thigh bone nearly 45,000 years old brings up several unanswered questions in the researchers’ minds. It compels experts to think the degree of intimation between modern man and Stone Age ancestors.

The leg bone was discovered from the banks of the Irtysh River of Siberia in 2008. A Russian artist accidently got hold of the oldest bone of the human species that passed it to a native paleontologist. After several months paleontologist l supplied it to another group in Leipzig.

It amazed researchers to know the original age of the bone. The DNA informed that the man is approximately 43,000 to 47,000 years old. Bence Viola, co-author of the study reported that the bone was so pretty fossilized.

Moreover, the bone pointed out numerous things related to the interaction of Neanderthals with Africans and other people. It indicated the time period at which modern humans and Neanderthals first matted.

The most interesting thing is that the bone contains nearly two percent of the genome of Neanderthals. The ratio is almost similar to the amount of genome found in modern Africans.

Live Science stated that Neanderthals DNA piece means that the H.sapiens started matting with Neanderthals almost 50,000 to 60,000 years ago.

However, the connection between this pre-historic species and modern man are still in the dark. Merely the human migration of Africa to Eurasia supports the relationship of the two species. Eurasia came across Neanderthals nearly 60,000 years ago. The two groups matted because of which Neanderthals DNA was transferred in the modern human being.

This report signifies that every person on this Earth has 1 or 4 percent of Neanderthals DNA in his body.

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: African, Bence Viola, DNA, Eurasia, genome, H.sapiens, Journal Nature, leg bone, Live Science, Neanderthal, Siberia, Stone Age, thigh bone, Wednesday Edition

Scientists Sequenced A 45000-Year-Old Man’s Genome

October 23, 2014 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

45000-year-old-man's-genome-sequenced

The DNA of a 45000 year old bone of a Siberian man has been recently examined by the researchers to find out when human and Neanderthals first interbred. On record, this is an oldest genome sequence of Homo sapiens exposing a mysterious population that may once have spanned northern Asia. The study is published in the Nature journal.

The oldest human genome also revealed that the closest extinct relatives of the modern humans were the Neanderthals who lived in Europe and Asia and vanished around 40,000 years ago. The Neanderthals interbred with ancestors of modern humans when modern humans began spreading out of Africa and today 1.5 to 2.1 percent of the DNA of anyone living outside Africa is Neanderthal in origin, study reveals.

“It remains vague when interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans happened. But it probably ranged between 37000 to 86000 years ago,” researchers stated.

The researchers examined the bone (human left femur), discovered by Nikolai Peristov, an artist and mammoth ivory collector on the left bank of the river Irtysh near the settlement of Ust’-Ishim in western Siberia in 2008. The age of the man’s bone to be is about 45,000 years old, researchers stated.

Janet Kelso, co-author of the study and a computational biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, told Live Science, “This is the earliest directly dated modern human outside of Africa and the Middle East, and the oldest modern human [genome] to have been sequenced.”

Formerly, the researchers had proposed modern humans firstly populated Asia by traveling towards southern, coastal route that gave rise to the present-day people of Oceania, while a later, more northern migration, gave rise to mainland Asians. Kelson stated, “the researchers’ evidence for the modern human presence in Siberia 45,000 years ago specifies that the early modern humans were not just migrated to Eurasia through a southern route as previously suggested.”

The researchers further examined the carbon and nitrogen isotopes present in the man’s bone proposes that he ate C3 plants, which rule cooler, wetter, cloudier regions such as garlic, eggplants, pears, beans and wheat as well as animals that also dined on C3 plants. Though, the study analysis reveals that he might have eaten aquatic foods like fresh water fish.

The DNA analysis of mans’s bone revealed that the he was closely related to present-day Asians and to early Europeans. “From this we conclude that the population to which the Ust’-Ishim individual belonged diverged from the ancestors of present-day Europeans and Asians before, or at around the same time as, these groups diverged from one another,” Kelso said.

The researchers believed that 45,000 years old man carried a similar level of Neanderthal ancestry as present-day Eurasians and the Neanderthal genes moved into the ancestors of this man 7,000 to 13,000 years before he lived.

The results of the study propose that modern humans and Neanderthals interbred around 50,000 to 60,000 years ago, “which is close to the time of the major expansion of modern humans out of Africa and the Middle East,” Kelso added.

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: 13000, 45000 years old man, 50000, 60000, 7000, Africa, Asians, bone, C3 plants, DNA, Eurasia, Europeans, Genes, genome, Germany, Homo sapiens, Janet Kelso, Max Planck, middle east, Nikolai Peristov, Siberia

45,000 Years Old DNA Narrows Down Modern Human and Neanderthals Mating Period

October 23, 2014 By Germaine Hicks Leave a Comment

Reconstruction of Genome

Thus far, the Ust’-Ishim’s thigh bone is the most ancient bone discovered.  It belongs to a boy who died somewhere in Siberia nearly 24000 years ago. However, this tiny bone revealed some significant ancient secrets.

Recently, scientists sequenced the genome of the thigh bone of the oldest man. The researchers put this bone side by side to the ancient people who lived in Europe and Asia. The group of these people was known as Neanderthals that annihilated nearly 40,000 years ago.

Fortunately, the study shed some light upon the migration pattern of the ancient people.  It provides important clues associated with the time of mating between the modern humans and Neanderthal.

It unveiled that Neanderthal and modern human came across each other almost 50,000 to 60,000 years ago. They contain nearly two percent of Neanderthal DNA which is equivalent to the proportion of modern East Asians and Europeans.

Moreover, the location of thigh bone further verified the study. This piece of bone was found from a village that was populated by both the East Asians and Europeans.

The group of researchers who belong to Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology uncovered these significant points. The panel is struggling hard for several years to find out the remains of DNA from ancient remnant.

The study is printed in the Wednesday issue of Journal Nature.

Filed Under: Tech & Science Tagged With: DNA, mating, Max Planck Institute, migration pattern, modern man, Neanderthals, Siberia, thigh bone

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Articles

dc logo on black galaxy background

Ava DuVernay to Direct DC’s New Gods Adaptation

March 16, 2018 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

leonardo davinci's signature in black

Is DaVinci’s Record Breaking Painting Authentic?

November 20, 2017 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

stephen hawking

Stephen Hawking Makes Gloomy Prediction For Earth In A 100 Years

May 7, 2017 By Deborah Nielsen Leave a Comment

"Dwayne Johnson not dead"

Dwayne Johnson Died this Week or Not

January 19, 2016 By Jason Leathers 3 Comments

There Are At Least Three More Seasons of Game of Thrones To Go

July 31, 2015 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

Homelessness Soars in L.A., Officials Pledge to House Everybody by 2016

May 12, 2015 By Brian Galloway Leave a Comment

FBI Releases National Report on Slain Police Officers, Figures are Alarming

May 12, 2015 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

New York Nuclear Plant Partially Shut Down due to Hudson Oil Slick

May 11, 2015 By Jason Leathers 2 Comments

Obama Draws Heat from Democrats over Asia Trade Deal

May 9, 2015 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

Florida Governor Changes Stance on Obamacare Once More, Budget on Hold

May 9, 2015 By Brian Galloway Leave a Comment

Secret Service to add an Extra Layer of Spikes to White House Fence

May 8, 2015 By Chen Lai Leave a Comment

Police Arrested Suspect in death of Student who tried to Sell Car on Craigslist

May 8, 2015 By Deborah Nielsen 1 Comment

AccuWeather.com: 2015 Atlantic Tropical Storm Season is Officially Open

May 7, 2015 By Deborah Nielsen Leave a Comment

Illinois Student Found Dead after Trying to Sell his Car on Craigslist

May 7, 2015 By Deborah Nielsen 2 Comments

Categories

  • Business
  • Headlines
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Tech & Science
  • US
  • World

Copyright © 2021 capitalwired.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Contact

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more.