DNA reveals secrets of Australia's elusive marsupial mole
Researchers have probed the genetics of one of Australia's most elusory animals, the marsupial mole.
DNA
An Indiana teen died in 1866. How did her skull end up in an Illinois house's walls?
DNA tests identified a skull found during home renovations in 1978 as that of an Indiana teen who died after childbirth in 1866. Authorities say Esther Granger was likely the victim of grave robbing.
The dubious consent question at the heart of the Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project was a massive undertaking that took more than a decade and billions of dollars to complete. For it, scientists collected DNA samples from anonymous volunteers who were told the final project would be a mosaic of DNA. Instead, over two-thirds of the DNA comes from one person: RP11. No one ever told him. Science journalist Ashley Smart talks to host Emily Kwong about his recent investigation into the decision to make RP11 the major donor — and why unearthing this history matters to genetics today.
Read Ashley's full article in Undark Magazine here.
Questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Read Ashley's full article in Undark Magazine here.
Questions or ideas for future episodes? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
After 41 years, a missing woman has been identified. Police want to know how she died
The mom whose remains were discovered in 1983 in what's now Lake Forest, Calif., was positively identified Friday by authorities as Maritza Glean Grimmett, says the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
An Afghan migrant, age 17, drowned in a Bosnian river. Here's how citizens responded
On the risky journey from the Global South to Europe, migrants often perish. In a town in Bosnia-Herzegovina, near a river where dozens have drowned, citizens seek to provide closure to the families.
Octopuses tweak the RNA in their brains to adjust to warmer and cooler waters
The California two-spot octopus can edit the RNA in its brain to produce different proteins as ocean temperatures fluctuate, a new study finds.
Why do some people get UTIs over and over? A new report holds clues
A new study looks at how urinary tract infections can affect DNA. And down the road that could lead to new treatments for the millions who get UTIs.
A discarded cigarette butt and DNA tests solve a 52-year-old murder of Vermont woman
A discarded cigarette found near the body of a Vermont school teacher in her apartment nearly 52 years ago helped lead investigators to a neighbor who they say strangled her, Vermont police said.
Why scientists dug up the father of genetics, Gregor Mendel, and analyzed his DNA
The year 2022 was the 200th anniversary of the birth of Gregor Mendel. He's known as the father of genetics, so scientists exhumed Mendel's body and examined his DNA.
Genetic sequencing gives us the first-ever look at a Neanderthal clan
"You know, this image of Neanderthals being brutes, is not quite accurate," says paleogenticist Laurits Skov. "The more we learn about them, the more like humans they appear to be."