Latest news with #geneticanalysis
The Independent
01-08-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Potatoes derived from ancient crossbreeding, researchers say
Researchers have finally determined the origin of potatoes, solving a long-standing mystery. Modern potatoes, encompassing over 4,000 species, originated approximately nine million years ago in South America. Their genesis involved the crossbreeding of wild tomato plants and potato -like species known as Etuberosum. This evolutionary event led to the formation of the tuber, the edible underground root, which provided potatoes with a significant advantage in challenging environments. Genetic analysis revealed that essential tuber-forming genes were inherited from both tomatoes (SP6A) and Etuberosum (IT1), with both being crucial for potato production.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pacific Biosciences of California (PACB) Beats Stock Market Upswing: What Investors Need to Know
Pacific Biosciences of California (PACB) closed the most recent trading day at $1.50, moving +1.35% from the previous trading session. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.28%. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 0.43%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 0.09%. The stock of maker of genetic analysis technology has risen by 27.59% in the past month, leading the Medical sector's gain of 0.24% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.37%. The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Pacific Biosciences of California in its upcoming release. In that report, analysts expect Pacific Biosciences of California to post earnings of -$0.18 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 10%. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $36.46 million, indicating a 1.26% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year. For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of -$0.64 per share and a revenue of $155.12 million, demonstrating changes of +22.89% and +0.72%, respectively, from the preceding year. Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Pacific Biosciences of California. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. Consequently, upward revisions in estimates express analysts' positivity towards the business operations and its ability to generate profits. Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model. The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been no change in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. At present, Pacific Biosciences of California boasts a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy). The Medical - Instruments industry is part of the Medical sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 173, putting it in the bottom 30% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. Be sure to use to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (PACB) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Independent
10-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Scientists discover new, rare blood type during routine test
In a routine blood test that turned extraordinary, French scientists have identified the world's newest and rarest blood group. The sole known carrier is a woman from Guadeloupe whose blood is so unique that doctors couldn't find a single compatible donor. The discovery of the 48th recognised blood group, called 'Gwada-negative', began when the woman's blood plasma reacted against every potential donor sample tested, including those from her own siblings. Consequently, it was impossible to find a suitable blood donor for her. Most people know their blood type – A, B, AB or O – along with whether they are Rh-positive or negative. But these familiar categories (those letters plus 'positive' or 'negative') represent just two of several dozens of blood group systems that determine compatibility for transfusions. Each system reflects subtle but crucial differences in the proteins and sugars coating our red blood cells. To solve the mystery of the Guadeloupian woman's incompatible blood, scientists turned to cutting-edge genetic analysis. Using whole exome sequencing – a technique that examines all 20,000-plus human genes – they discovered a mutation in a gene called PIGZ. This gene produces an enzyme responsible for adding a specific sugar to an important molecule on cell membranes. The missing sugar changes the structure of a molecule on the surface of red blood cells. This change creates a new antigen – a key feature that defines a blood group – resulting in an entirely new classification: Gwada-positive (having the antigen) or -negative (lacking it). Using gene editing technology, the team confirmed their discovery by recreating the mutation in a lab. So red blood cells from all blood donors tested are Gwada-positive and the Guadeloupean patient is the only known Gwada-negative person on the planet. The implications of the discovery extend beyond blood transfusions. The patient suffers from mild intellectual disability, and tragically, she lost two babies at birth – outcomes that may be connected to her rare genetic mutation. The enzyme produced by the PIGZ gene operates at the final stage of building a complex molecule called GPI (glycosylphosphatidylinositol). Previous research has shown that people with defects in other enzymes needed for GPI assembly can experience neurological problems ranging from developmental delays to seizures. Stillbirths are also common among women with these inherited disorders. Although the Caribbean patient is the only person in the world so far with this rare blood type, neurological conditions including developmental delay, intellectual disability and seizures have been noted in other people with defects in enzymes needed earlier in the GPI assembly line. The Gwada discovery highlights both the marvels and challenges of human genetic diversity. Blood groups evolved partly as protection against infectious diseases (many bacteria, viruses and parasites use blood group molecules as entry points into cells). This means your blood type can influence your susceptibility to certain diseases. But extreme rarity creates medical dilemmas. The French researchers acknowledge they cannot predict what would happen if Gwada-incompatible blood were transfused into the Guadeloupian woman. Even if other Gwada-negative people exist, they would be extremely difficult to locate. It is also unclear if they can become blood donors. This reality points towards a futuristic solution: lab-grown blood cells. Scientists are already working on growing red blood cells from stem cells that could be genetically modified to match ultra-rare blood types. In the case of Gwada, researchers could artificially create Gwada-negative red blood cells by mutating the PIGZ gene. A growing field Gwada joins 47 other blood group systems recognised by the International Society of Blood Transfusion. Like most of these blood-group systems, it was discovered in a hospital lab where technicians were trying to find compatible blood for a patient. The name reflects the case's Caribbean roots: Gwada is slang for someone from Guadeloupe, giving this blood group both scientific relevance and cultural resonance. As genetic sequencing becomes more advanced and widely used, researchers expect to uncover more rare blood types. Each discovery expands our understanding of human variation and raises fresh challenges for transfusion and other types of personalised medicine. Martin L. Olsson is a Medical Director at the Nordic Reference Laboratory for Blood Group Genomics, Region Skåne & Professor of Transfusion Medicine, Head of the Division, Lund University
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Skull of ‘Scattered Man' Washed Up on a Beach 30 Years Ago. Students Just ID'd the Remains.
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: A skull washed on up on the shore of a New Jersey beach back in 1995, with further bone fragments appearing in 1999 and 2013. As a result, the set of remains earned the nickname 'Scattered Man John Doe.' Stumped for nearly three decades, local law enforcement recently turned to students at Ramapo College to employ genetic analysis and historical research to try and identify whose bones had washed ashore. The students were able to determine that the remains belonged to Henry Goodsell, the 29-year-old captain of the merchant ship Oriental, who died during a storm alongside his crew in 1844 This story is a collaboration with Imagine it's 1995. You've just had a good time seeing Batman Forever at the movies. You're cracking open an OK soda, strolling along the beach in Longport, New Jersey, rocking out to Shaggy's 'Boombastic,' when all of a sudden you stumble across a shocking sight: a skull has washed up on the shore. Did somebody drown at the beach? Did you stumble across the remnants of a mob hit? Whose skull is this, and how did it get here? You contact the proper authorities and feel certain they'll find the answer soon enough. Now imagine it's 1999. You've just had an O.K. time seeing Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, and have likely forgotten all about that skull on the beach four years ago when, suddenly, news breaks: fragments of bone from the same corpse as the Longport skull have now been found less than two miles away in the nearby town of Margate. Authorities are no closer to identifying the dead man. Now, it's 2013. You just saw Frozen, and as you check your phone on the way out of the theater, you see the news alert: new skeletal remains, likely connected with that 1995 skull, have washed up in Ocean City. Still, law enforcement remains no closer to identifying a body whose skull was first discovered 18 years prior, and they've taken to calling the skeletal remnants 'Scattered Man John Doe.' Well, after 12 more years—a total of 30 since that skull was first discovered Longport, New Jersey—the Scattered Man has finally been identified. Through a combination of genetic analysis and good-old-fashioned historical research—in a collaboration between state law enforcement and the Ramapo College of New Jersey's Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center—the remains have been found to belong to Henry Goodsell, the captain of a merchant ship who died during a storm alongside his crew. Goodsell was only 29 years old when he died, meaning that he spent more years as 'the skull that washed up on the beach' than he ever did as a living, breathing man. But all the more remarkable is how long Goodsell's body had been lost, awaiting discovery: the storm that claimed Goodsell's life occurred in the winter of 1844. Ramapo's search for answers began in the fall of 2023, when they sent a DNA sample from the remains to Intermountain Forensics 'who uploaded the sample to GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA in February of 2024,' per a Ramapo College press release. This allowed the Ramapo undergraduates to trace the genealogy of the deceased. The students found evidence of ancestry 'dating back to the 1600s, with genetic relatives hailing from Litchfield and Fairfield counties in Connecticut.' For a full year, students at Ramapo hit the books, volunteering their time to try and triangulate deceased or missing figures with ties to Connecticut who may have been involved in shipwrecks off of the coast of New Jersey. That's when they discovered two news articles from December of 1844, which spoke of the sad fate of the vessel Oriental: 'The students learned that five crew members were aboard the Oriental, which departed from Connecticut en route to Philadelphia, PA, to deliver 60 tons of marble for use by Girard College, a college preparatory boarding school that opened in 1848. The ship was wrecked off the coast of Brigantine Shoal in 1844. It was reported the ship likely sprung a leak and went down less than one mile from the shoreline, and all crew members died. The captain of the ship was 29-year-old Henry Goodsell.' From there, the students proposed Goodsell as a possible identification to New Jersey State Police, and they in turn (in March of 2025) collected a DNA sample from one of Goodsell's descendants. A match was confirmed by NJSP on April 8, 2025, finally resolving the mystery of the Scattered Man John Doe. 'Identifying human remains is one of the most solemn and challenging responsibilities law enforcement is charged with,' Chief of County Detectives Patrick Snyder at the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office stated in the press release. 'Law enforcement works hard knowing that behind every case is a promise: that no one will be forgotten, and that we will pursue the truth until families have the answers they deserve.' The identification of Goodsell also demonstrates the potential of modern genetic analysis to solve cases that have gone even colder than we ever thought solvable. 'Using modern genealogy testing to identify bone fragments from the 19th century is a powerful reminder of our unwavering commitment to resolving cases no matter how old,' noted Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, NJSP superintendent. 'The ability to bring answers to families—even generations later—shows how far science and dedication can take us.' So now, it's 2025. You just saw the new Mission: Impossible and can't believe it's been 29 years since that first one came out. And you finally have some closure on whose skull it was that washed ashore on the beach all the way back in 1995. Henry Goodsell, age 29, captain of the Oriental. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Washington Post
10-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
In 23andMe case, a fight brews over who can sell your genetic code
Do people have a right to control what happens to a genetic analysis of their own spit? That is the question that attorneys general from 27 states and the District of Columbia are raising in the bankruptcy of DNA-testing company 23andMe, filing suit Monday to force a judge to determine whether customers of the firm have an inherent right to their genetic information.
