SCIENCE King Tut’s parents were brother-and-sister, he had a clubfoot, he suffered from genetic abnormalities, and he died when he was 19. Still, it was a pretty good life, and a truly spectacular afterlife. (The Independent) Learn how the world first found out about King Tut. Teachers: Scroll all the way down for a short list of key resources in our “Teachers’ Toolkit.” Three views … Continue reading New View of King Tut
SCIENCE The Clovis culture, which developed in North America about 13,000 years ago from populations originally from eastern Asia, appears to be the ancestor of all Native Americans. Geneticists sequenced DNA of the only known Clovis skeleton and found markers shared with indigenous people from North, Central, and South America. (Reuters) Use our resources to better understand genetics and ancient human migration. Discussion Ideas Read … Continue reading Ancient DNA Links Native Americans
ENVIRONMENT Cockroaches have neighborhoods, too. At least in New York City, where researchers are conducting a citizen-science project to trace the insects’ diverse ancestry and migration patterns. The geno-cockroach project? (National Geographic News) Squash a bug, for SCIENCE. Then use our resources to find other citizen science projects. Discussion Ideas New York City’s three “cockroach communities” identified in the Nat Geo News article are the … Continue reading There Goes the Neighborhood
SCIENCE Modern Europe’s Genetic History Starts in Stone Age Europeans as a people are younger than we thought, a new study suggests. DNA recovered from ancient skeletons reveals that the genetic makeup of modern Europe was established around 4,500 years ago—not by the first farmers who arrived in the area around 7,500 years ago, or by earlier hunter-gatherer groups. (In this video, geneticist Spencer Wells … Continue reading Modern Europe Is Younger Than We Thought
SCIENCE Should We Bring Back Extinct Animals? This National Geographic News article explains the focus of a scientific conference on “de-extinction.” De-extinction is exactly what it sounds like. Thanks to groundbreaking research in genetics, scientists theoretically have the technology to “clone” an extinct species, as long as DNA can be retrieved from a preserved specimen. The first de-extinction project focuses on the passenger pigeon, although … Continue reading Current Event Connection: Should We Bring Back Extinct Animals?
