Skip to main content

Latest

canada
Scientists discover trove of wildlife DNA in air pollution sensors
The little owl, which ranges across Europe, Asia and Northern Africa was among scores of individual species identified through airborne DNA picked up by pollution monitoring stations in a UK-based study. Credit: Robert Knell
canada
Quebec police declare 1975 murder cold case solved
Video2:33
canada
Panoramic view of genetic variation sheds new light on disease, human evolution
A photo provided by Maggie Bartlett/National Institutes of Health Sequencing Center shows a lab tech processing samples at the National Human Genome Research Institute. Grappling with the deep history of racism in Western science, the National Academies of Science on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, released guidelines recommending that scientists not use race as a category in genetic studies. (Maggie Bartlett/National Institutes of Health Sequencing Center via The New York Times) — EDITORIAL USE ONLY; NO SALES —
canada
Royal genes? Science offers a reality check on King Charles’s ancestral lineage
A combo shows a picture of a scene of the queen from the television series "Game of Thrones" in a 87 meters tapestry relating the 8 seasons of the US (top) and a part of the the "Bayeux tapestry" or "Queen Mathilde tapestry" which relate Britain's conquest by William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquerant) in 1066 on September 13, 2019 in Bayeux. - Like the Bayeux Tapestry, the Game of Thrones Tapestry is woven of fine linen and hand-embroidered, with decorative borders and a central pictorial narrative. (Photo by LOIC VENANCE / AFP) (Photo credit should read LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)
opinion
Instead of paying Big Pharma, Canada should develop its own rare-disease treatments
John Bell and Alex MacKenzie
world
What made Beethoven sick? DNA from his hair offers clues
This undated image released by the Beethoven Studies, San Jose State University, shows the Moscheles Lock of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, authenticated by the study, with inscription by former owner Ignaz Moscheles. - Beethoven died in Vienna nearly 200 years ago after a lifetime of composing some of the most influential works in classical music. Ever since, biographers have sought to explain the causes of the German composer's death at the age of 56, his progressive hearing loss and his well-documented struggles with chronic illness. A team of researchers who sequenced Beethoven's genome using locks of the German composer's hair may now have some answers. Liver failure, or cirrhosis, was the possible cause of Beethoven's death brought about by a number of factors, including the composer's alcohol consumption, they said. (Photo by Ira F. Brilliant / Center for Beethoven Studies, San Jose State University / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Ira F. Brilliant / Center for Beethoven Studies, San Jose State University" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by IRA F. BRILLIANT/Center for Beethoven Studies, Sa/AFP via Getty Images)
canada
Chilean poet Pablo Neruda died with toxic bacteria in his body, say forensic scientists
Judge Paola Plaza speaks to reporters after receiving a report by international forensic experts regarding the cause of death of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
world
Skull found in ‘97 in remote Alaska belongs to New York man
In this photo taken Sunday, May 12, 2019, a hiker treks on a section of Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska. The glacier is a popular attraction for tourists and locals. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
world
Oldest DNA reveals life in Greenland two million years ago
This illustration provided by researchers depicts Kap Kobenhavn, Greenland, two million years ago, when the temperature was significantly warmer than northernmost Greenland today. Scientists have analyzed 2-million-year-old DNA extracted from dirt samples in the area, revealing an ancient ecosystem unlike anything seen on Earth today, including traces of mastodons and horseshoe crabs roaming the Arctic. (Beth Zaiken via AP)
canada
How police use genetics and genealogy to help solve cold cases
Video3:13
canada
Ontario man charged after genetic genealogy links him to two 1983 cold-case killings
Sean McCowan speaks as Kaelin McCowan looks on, brothers of Erin Gilmour, during a press conference in Toronto on Monday November 28, 2022. Toronto police say they've arrested a 61-year-old man in the DNA-linked cold-case murders of Gilmour and Susan Tice, who were found dead in their homes within months of each other almost four decades ago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
world
Latest search for Tulsa Race Massacre victims comes to end with 32 more caskets discovered, eight sets of remains exhumed
In this image provided by the City of Tulsa, Crews work on an excavation at Oaklawn Cemetery searching for victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, in Tulsa, Okla. Officials say the search for remains of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre has turned up 21 additional graves in the city’s Oaklawn Cemetery. (City of Tulsa via AP)
world
Ancient DNA gives rare snapshot of Neanderthal family ties
In this photo provided by Bence Viola in October 2022, researchers excavate a cave in the mountains of Siberia, Russia. In a study published Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, in the journal Nature, researchers were able to pull DNA out of tiny bone fragments found in two Russian caves, and used the genetic data to map out relationships between 13 different Neanderthals for clues to how they lived. (Bence Viola via AP)
the decibel: a daily news podcast from the globe and mail
Ancestry sites are helping crack cold cases
Podcast
Podcast logo for The Decibel, the daily show from The Globe and Mail.
alberta
Edmonton police retract DNA-derived mugshot
An Edmonton Police Services logo is shown at a press conference in Edmonton on October 2, 2017. For the first time in its history, the service is using DNA phenotyping as a method to identify a suspect in a 2019 sexual assault. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
alberta
Edmonton police use DNA phenotyping to find sex assault suspect
An Edmonton Police Services logo is shown at a press conference in Edmonton on October 2, 2017. For the first time in its history, the service is using DNA phenotyping as a method to identify a suspect in a 2019 sexual assault. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
world
Svante Paabo, decoder of ancient DNA, wins 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Swedish geneticist Svante Paabo, who won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries that underpin our understanding of how modern day humans evolved from extinct ancestors, attends a news conference at the Max-Planck Institute for evolutionary anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, October 3, 2022. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
canada
Man convicted of two murders stands trial for stabbing death of woman in Regina
Saskatchewan's provincial flag flies in Ottawa on July 6, 2020.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
canada
How Calgary police are cracking sexual-assault cold cases with DNA banks
canada
Advanced DNA offers hope to solve cold cases, but some Canadian police forces slow to adopt it
Blue preservation solution is shown at Spectrum DNA in Draper, Utah, April 3, 2020. Advances in DNA technology are being credited with solving a growing pile of cold case murders in the United States, but some Canadian police forces are lagging behind their U.S. counterparts in adopting it. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Rick Bowmer
world
Descendants of possible 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims can give DNA
FILE - In this July 30, 2021 photo, a group prays during a small ceremony as remains from a mass grave are reinterred at Oaklawn Cemetery in Tulsa, Okla. People who believe they are descendants of Tulsa Race Massacre victims can now provide genetic material to help scientists try to identify remains of possible victims. The committee overseeing the search for mass graves of victims was told Tuesday, June 21, 2022, that enough usable DNA for testing has been found in two of the 14 sets of remains that were removed from Tulsa's Oaklawn Cemetery a year ago. (Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP, File)
canada
Kids’ activity: How can I obtain a sample of DNA?
This undated image made available by the National Human Genome Research Institute shows the output from a DNA sequencer. In research published in the journal Science on Thursday, March 31, 2022, scientists announced they have finally assembled the full genetic blueprint for human life, adding the missing pieces to a puzzle nearly completed two decades ago. An international team described the sequencing of a complete human genome, the set of instructions to build a human being. (NHGRI via AP)
science
Scientists publish the first complete human genome
In this undated image made available by the National Human Genome Research Institute, a researcher examines the output from a DNA sequencer. In research published in the journal Science on Thursday, March 31, 2022, scientists announced they have finally assembled the full genetic blueprint for human life, adding the missing pieces to a puzzle nearly completed two decades ago. An international team described the sequencing of a complete human genome, the set of instructions to build a human being. (NHGRI via AP)
world
Michigan judge sets aside two brothers’ 1997 murder convictions
world
Dallas man arrested in 1984 killing of aspiring model
This photo provided by Dallas County District Attorney’s Office shows Edward Morgan, 60, who was arrested Feb. 18, 2022, and charged for the 1984 capital murder of Mary Jane Thompson. Morgan was linked to the crime through genealogical databases, prosecutors said Friday. Morgan is being held at the Dallas County jail. (Dallas County District Attorney’s Office via AP)
alberta
Banff RCMP hoping to identify man’s remains recovered decades ago
An unidentified man is shown in this composite sketch provided by the RCMP. RCMP are hoping to solve the mystery of remains found in Banff National Park over two decades ago. The skeletal remains were found by a tour guide in 1998 but police have been unable to identify the man. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-RCMP *MANDATORY CREDIT*
obituary
Scientist June Lindsey played little-known role in helping crack the mystery of DNA’s structure
Obit for June Lindsey. Her time at Cambridge University where she began her DNA-related work. All Courtesy of the Family.
world
South Dakota woman convicted for 1981 death of newborn
FILE - This March 8, 2019 booking photo released by Minnehaha County, S.D., Jail shows Theresa Bentaas. The South Dakota woman has been convicted of manslaughter in the death of her newborn son whose body was discovered in a ditch 40 years ago. Bentaas, 60, of Sioux Falls, entered an Alford plea to first-degree manslaughter Friday, Oct. 8, 2021 in an agreement with prosecutors. (Minnehaha County Jail/KELO via AP File)
world
Victims of 9/11 terror attacks are still being identified, 20 years since tragedy
(FILES) In this file photo taken on September 13, 2001, workers clean debris from a street in front of the Trinity Church near the collapsed twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. - The remains of two more victims of 9/11 have been identified, thanks to advanced DNA technology, New York officials announced on September 7, 2021, just days before the 20th anniversary of the attacks. The office of the city's chief medical examiner said it had formally identified the 1,646th and 1,647th victim of the al-Qaeda attacks on New York's Twin Towers which killed 2,753 people. (Photo by BETH A. KEISER / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BETH A. KEISER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
world
India gives world’s first COVID-19 DNA vaccine approval for emergency use
Passengers queue up to get their temperature checked for the Covid-19 coronavirus symptoms after arriving at a railway platform on a long distance train, in Mumbai on August 20, 2021. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP) (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP via Getty Images)
world
Just seven per cent of our DNA is unique to modern humans, study shows
FILE - This Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2003 file photo shows a reconstructed Neanderthal skeleton, right, and a modern human skeleton on display at the Museum of Natural History in New York. According to a study published Friday, July 16, 2021 in the journal Science Advances, just 7% of our genome is uniquely shared with other humans, and not shared by other early ancestors. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
report on business
Cancer detection startup spun out of Toronto’s UHN raises $60-million from top US biotech investors
Scott Bratman,(L) CEO of Adela, Inc., and Daniel De Carvalho, CSO for Adela, are photographed at Daniel’s lab in the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Tower on June 22, 2021.Charles Ihhak, a post doctoral fellow in cancer epigenetic is in the blue lab coat. Adela s developing innovative blood tests for cancer detection and screening. Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail.
opinion
Canada should use DNA testing to return children in residential school graves to family members
Todd Hataley and Christian Leuprecht
canada
Adam Strong’s sentencing hearing adjourned due to COVID-19 pandemic
canada
Nova Scotia researchers to study whether Vietnam War affected how those who lived through it age
Zachary Zimmer, the Canada Research Chair in Aging and Community at Mount Saint Vincent University, stands on campus in Halifax on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Researchers from the school along with others from the United States, Singapore and Vietnam, are studying the effects of the Vietnam War on the aging population that were a part of the conflict. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
report on business
Subway can proceed with $210-million defamation suit against CBC for show on chicken content
A Subway fast food restaurant's sign is shown in New York on Oct. 24, 2016. A defamation lawsuit by the world’s largest fast-food operator against Canada's public broadcaster over a report on the chain's chicken sandwiches can proceed, Ontario's top court has ruled. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Mark Lennihan