Last synced from Twitter 779d ago
A Woman’s AncestryDNA Test Revealed a Medical Secret
As a cancer patient, she had received cord-blood cells from an anonymous donor. The DNA from those cells led her to him.
5
Sarah Zhang
I wrote about a fascinating case of a woman who took an AncestryDNA test and found someone else's DNA inside her
7d
A Human Liver Can Be Cooled to –4 Degrees Celsius and Survive
A new technique can preserve the organ outside the human body for at least 27 hours.
1
Sarah Zhang
I was surprised to learn that 50 years ago, doctors performing the first transplants actually hooked organs up to machines that circulated dilute blood to keep them viable before transplant.
Then, they all switched to simply putting organs on ice
11d
A Burst of Clues to South Asians’ Genetic Heritage
A tiny ear bone from more than 4,000 years ago is shaping the story of migration and heritage in India.
5
Sarah Zhang
Two new ancient DNA papers. The first reports DNA from the 523 skeletons, the most ever in a single paper. The second paper? Just one—from an ear bone in India.
I wrote about why that single ear bone is such a big deal
14d
The Patient Who Finally Knows Why Her UTI Won’t Go Away
UTIs were once easy to cure. Then they started becoming resistant to antibiotics.
4
Sarah Zhang
I talked to an 82yo woman whose decades-long recurring UTIs are resistant to most antibiotics. It didn't really hit me until she said, "Remember, I was born before antibiotics"
In just her lifetime, antibiotics have gone from miracle cure to ineffective
17d
Mail-in DNA test results bring surprises about family history for many users
For example, about four-in-ten of those who used mail-in DNA testing say they were surprised by results for where ancestors came from.
1
Sarah Zhang
New Pew survey about who's taking DNA tests.
A data point that intrigued me: "15% of mail-in test users say their results changed the way they think about their racial or ethnic identity. Nonwhites are twice as likely as whites to say this (24% vs. 12%)"
45d
A Single Male Cat’s Reign of Terror
In Australia, one cat seems to have destroyed an entire bird sanctuary.
1
Sarah Zhang
How one (one!) cat managed to pretty much singlehandedly destroy entire bird sanctuary
51d
She Was Found Strangled in a Well, and Now She Has a Name
Using DNA, genealogists finally confirmed the identity of the “Belle in the Well,” found 38 years ago.
What Tick Saliva Does to the Human Body
Ticks use their saliva to create a “lake of blood” inside their hosts.
The Quietly Changing Consensus on Neutering Dogs
A growing body of research has documented the health risks of getting certain breeds fixed early—so why aren’t shelters changing their policies?
IVF Mix-Ups Have Broken the Definition of Parenthood
When a New York woman gave birth to twins after IVF, neither baby was related to her, or to each other.
5
Sarah Zhang
A woman gave birth to twins—only to be forced to give them up when it turned out the IVF clinic implanted someone else's embryos. I wrote about what this case means for our definition of "parenthood"
71d
New Coke didn't fail. It was murdered.
The "Stranger Things" kid is right—it tasted fine. It died because of a Southern rebellion.
1
Sarah Zhang
about this i feel certain after reading @timothypmurphy on what really happened to New Coke:
New Coke twitter would have been the worst twitter
73d
A Surprising Idea About the Risks of Extinction
The tiny population of wolves on Isle Royale descended from a much larger group. What if that helped doom them?
Should Human Feces Be Regulated Like a Drug?
A fecal-transplant patient has unexpectedly died just as the FDA is deciding the future of the unconventional procedure.
The Man With 17 Kids (and Counting)
After becoming a sperm donor, Tim Gullicksen wanted to get to know his donor kids. Now he invites them all out to a lake in California every summer.
2
Sarah Zhang
I wrote about a sperm donor who
- has at least 17 biological kids
- has known some of them since they were 9
- invites all of them on a lake trip every summer
95d
A Medieval Grape Is Still Used to Make Wine
It’s been genetically unchanged for at least 900 years.
1
Sarah Zhang
Archaeologists in France found a grape seed in a medieval cesspit—and it turned out to be genetically identical to grapes still being used to make wine today
102d
Russian biologist plans more CRISPR-edited babies
Discover the world’s best science and medicine | Nature.com
2
Sarah Zhang
Another scientist, this time in Russia, planning CRISPR-edited babies and targeting the same CCR5 gene as He Jiankui. "I think I’m crazy enough to do it," he says.
102d
We Were Missing Most of the Plastic in the Ocean
The highest levels of microplastics are found more than 650 feet below the surface.
A Mutation That Resists HIV Has Other Harmful Consequences
He Jiankui chose a famous mutation to edit into human embryos. Scientists are still trying to figure out everything it does.
An Incredible Fossil Contains a Whole School of 259 Fish
How did they all die at once?
It’s 2059, and the Rich Kids Are Still Winning
DNA tweaks won’t fix our problems.
2
Sarah Zhang
Read! This!
Geneticists, especially curious about your thoughts on this op-ed from the future
115d