DNA Analysis Proves Indigenous Cultivation of Beaked Hazelnut

 

Scientists have studied the DNA of a native hazelnut in order to analyze how Indigenous peoples stewarded their land. The use of the beaked hazelnut (Corylus Cornuta) by indigenous peoples for food, medicine, craftmanship, and more has survived in oral traditions, so the study set out to investigate how the genetic profile of the hazelnut aligned with this knowledge. The hazelnuts were collected across western North America and the DNA of the specimens were analyzed. They mapped out the geographic distribution of plants sharing these genetic traits as well. It was discovered that people were transplanting and cultivating hazelnuts over long distances from their origin. They were selectively managing them, enabling the increase of genetic diversity within the hazelnut. Also, by analyzing specific unique hazelnut clusters only present in certain areas, they were able to support Indigenous land claims in those areas.

In my opinion this study is of great importance to understanding the behaviors of Indigenous peoples in the past. It was believed before that Indigenous peoples did not cultivate or steward the land they lived on, and this study brings a wider appreciation of Indigenous cultures and their behaviors. We are able to better understand how Indigenous settlers influenced genetic diversity within the land. We are able to learn more about how these cultures practiced environmental sustainability, giving us a better understanding of their values and motivations as a society. This study helps restore knowledge that was lost over time and by colonizing settlers who separated the Indigenous peoples from their land and cultures.

DNA Profile is Private? A Florida Judge Just Said Otherwise

Genetic profiles have always been private for everyone but a judge in Florida is about to change that. A detective from Florida requested a warrant to go into and see GEDmatch database that has nearly one million users. This is the first time a judge has arepoved a warrant like this and doing so can bring complications on genetic privacy. The judge allowing this warrant is giving other agencies ideas to request for search warrants on other DNA sites. This means no one’s genetic profile will be safe and their information could be used by anyone.

Links

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/05/business/dna-database-search-warrant.html 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/futurism.com/cops-warrant-entire-dna-websites/amp 

Skeletons Tell Us a Story of the Past

An article in the NY Times discusses how scientists have been able to extract genetic material preserved in ancient human skeleton remains. These remains have been found in the Iberian Peninsula, now known as Spain and Portugal. Archaeologists and geneticists are working together to extract DNA which is establishing a chronological genetic timeline of the history and prehistory of the Iberian Peninsula. This new found information is helping to fill in the gaps of what is already known.

With a total of 419 ancient human genomes obtained by various laboratories, Iberia offers a grand population to study. In comparison, there have only been 174 ancient genomes in Britain and 8 in Japan. This dense record represents Iberia's genetic profile changing remarkably in response to major historical events.

The oldest known human DNA in Iberia comes from a 19,000 year old skeleton found in a cave in northern Spain. This skeleton belonged to a female member of a band of Ice Age hunter-gatherers. Along with other hunter-gatherers found, it was determined that they possessed a mixture of genes from two distinct groups found in different sites - Goyet (Belgium, traced back 35,000 years ago) and Villabruna (traced back 14,000 years ago). However, we now have established their coexistence in the peninsula. A brief timeline included: settlement of farmers originally from Anatolia, some migrants - one 100% North African male, nomads from steppes (now known as Russia) who married the farmers that completely eliminated the Y-chromosome of the male farmers (thought to be due to a change from egalitarian societies to concentrated power), arrivals from northern and central Europe (make up the Celtiberian culture), newcomers from North Africa, southern Europe, and the near east.

These findings are useful because it has given the modern scientific world an "unbroken genetic chronology". A gapless timeline can provide information regarding ancestry once unknown. This can be satisfying to those unrelated, but even more so, possibly, to those of generations passed down.

Genetic Sleuthing Tools Helped Track Down the Golden State Killer Suspect

The recent arrest of Golden State Killer suspect, Joseph James DeAngelo, was made with evidence found  using a currently undisclosed Genetic method. It is confirmed however that GEDmatch, a public genealogy database was used to connect the crime scene evidence to relatives of Mr. DeAngelo. The article further discusses the difference between STR, or short tandem repeats, and SNPs, single nucleotide polymorphisms, when it comes to identifying individuals. There are only 20 STRs compared to 600,000 SNP so the possible combinations with SNPs is so much higher and allows investigators to determine not only familial ties but also the exact relation of two people.
Aside from the speculation of the methods used by police to identify DeAngelo from GEDmatch's data there are also concerns of privacy invasions and "genetic stop and frisks". If Police have access to DNA databases outside of their own central database of criminals they could theoretically start trying to connect people to crimes with no probable cause simply if their DNA matches closely enough. Granted the odds of two people having the same DNA sequence is incredibly low it is still technically possible and can result in arrests or questioning that otherwise would be unwarranted.

In my personal opinion the idea of genetic stop and frisks and police having access to public DNA records. The chances of a false match with current DNA procedures is so infinitesimal that it isn't really a good argument to be used against genetic profiling. The privacy concerns may be important to some people but I personally am not concerned with it as it is a small price to pay in order to make improvements to solving and ultimately stopping crimes.

Article 1 - https://www.sciencenews.org/article/golden-state-killer-suspect-dna-genetics-genealogy

Article 2 - https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/to-find-alleged-golden-state-killer-investigators-first-found-his-great-great-great-grandparents/2018/04/30/3c865fe7-dfcc-4a0e-b6b2-0bec548d501f_story.html?utm_term=.16c7e578655d

Bringing Back a Galápagos Tortoise Species

Scientists have recently taken on the challenge to bring a Galápagos tortoise species back to life. After George, a Galápagos tortoise over one-hundred years old died in 2012, his species of Pinta tortoise became extinct. There are 8 Galápagos tortoise species scientists believe and George's species can perhaps be brought back to life soon.

George, the last known of his Galápagos tortoise species

In 2008, more than 1,600 tortoises were tagged with their blood samples also being collected that lived on the flanks of the Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island.  These tortoises and their families were originally dumped over a hundred years ago. Eighty-nine percent of the tortoises that were tagged were part Floreana whose full DNA genetic profile were obtained from samples in a museum. What made scientists think the Floreana species might not be fully extinct was that some of these tortoises had genes that indicated that their parents were in fact purebred Floreana. Also, seven of the tortoises had high levels of Pinta DNA, which could mean they could be close living relatives of George.

These scientists finally went back to the volcano to find these tortoises in order to separate them based on their DNA, whether they had high levels of Pinta or high levels of Floreana. The tortoises that were the most genetically close to the original species were then bred. The scientists think that it is possible to breed tortoises that will have 95% of their "lost" ancestral genes, and can hopefully bring back George's Galápagos tortoise species. The next step in this study is to analyze each animal's DNA to begin separating the two species and find those with the least mixed ancestry, which can take 5 to 10 years from now.

This article is one example on how an animal's genetics can be used for conservation of a species of an animal. Hopefully with more information and technology in the future it should be much easier to conserve a species so they cannot go extinct. Also, like in this study, some species can even be brought back to life with genetics so hopefully in the future less animals and even plants will become fully extinct.

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