DNA

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Man Admits Killing Ex's Mom in 2001 Cold Case

Eugene Gligor, 45, identified through DNA after 2 decades of searching

(Newser) - A Maryland cold case spanning more than two decades has reached a conclusion with a guilty plea. Eugene Gligor, 45, of Washington, DC, admitted to the 2001 murder of Leslie Preer, a mother from Chevy Chase. Gligor was connected to the crime after police used genetic genealogy, tracing DNA...

To Bust a Shoplifting Gang, London Cops Broke Out the DNA

Metropolitan Police officers arrest 15 after raids on London shops suspected of selling stolen goods

(Newser) - An alleged shoplifting gang in the UK has been busted up by arrests, thanks to DNA evidence in some of the stolen items. Per Surrey Live , 100-plus police officers raided eight different shops in the London area suspected of buying up food and booze stolen from major supermarkets and reselling...

US Toddler Kidnapped 25 Years Ago Found Living in Mexico

Andrea Michelle Reyes was 2 years old when she was illegally taken by her mother

(Newser) - A quarter of a century after a 2-year-old vanished from Connecticut, authorities there have finally tracked her down: She's now 27 and alive and well in Mexico. The Guardian reports Andrea Michelle Reyes was abducted by her mother, Rosa Tenorio, in 1999. Police long suspected Tenorio, who didn't...

She Said Her Virgin Mary Wept Blood. Not So Fast

DNA tests suggest blood was actually from Italy's Gisella Cardia, not some sort of supernatural event

(Newser) - About a decade ago, Gisella Cardia purchased a statue of the Virgin Mary at Bosnia and Herzegovina's Medjugorje, where thousands of religious pilgrims flock annually. The Sicilian native created her own pilgrimage site in the town of Trevignano Romano, on the outskirts of Rome, using the statue as the...

Families of Jack the Ripper Victims Demand 'Form of Justice'

After researcher names Polish barber as the serial killer, victims' relatives ask for a new inquest

(Newser) - Descendants of victims of the infamous "Jack the Ripper," the serial killer who terrorized London's East End and is tied to about a dozen murders in the late 1880s and early 1890s, are demanding a new inquiry be opened after DNA evidence has pointed to a not-so-new...

Amid 'Substantial Doubt,' 23andMe Cuts 40% of Workers

Genetic testing company to slash 200 jobs in restructuring effort after a painful year

(Newser) - The genetic testing company 23andMe hasn't been doing so hot lately, watching its share price plummet more than 70% this year, and CEO Anne Wojcicki has desperately been trying to right the ship. Now, a streamlining: The BBC reports the firm has slashed 200 jobs, or about 40% of...

'The Story Long Spun' About Pompeii Victims Was Wrong

DNA evidence changes a couple of long-held assumptions

(Newser) - When a volcanic eruption buried the ancient city of Pompeii, the last desperate moments of its citizens were preserved in stone for centuries. Observers see stories in the plaster casts later made of their bodies, like a mother holding a child and two women embracing as they die. But new...

Scientists: Yep, That's Christopher Columbus' Remains
Scientists: Yep, That's
Christopher Columbus' Remains
in case you missed it
Oct 13, 2024 11:05 AM CDT

Scientists: Yep, That's Christopher Columbus' Remains

DNA confirms remains in Spain's Seville Cathedral belong to the explorer

(Newser) - We know where he went and now we know where he ended up. The final resting place of Christopher Columbus, the 15th-century explorer, has been confirmed more than five centuries after his death, according to Spanish experts. Spain's Seville Cathedral has long claimed to hold the remains of Columbus,...

Shark That Can Live 400 Years Reveals Its Secret
Shark That Can Live
400 Years Reveals Its Secret
NEW STUDY
Sep 24, 2024 1:58 PM CDT

Shark That Can Live 400 Years Reveals Its Secret

Greenland shark genome shows duplicated genes involved in DNA repair

(Newser) - The Greenland shark is the world's longest-living vertebrate, or animal with a backbone, capable of living a mind-bending 400 years. Now, with the mapping of the shark's genome, the biggest of any shark sequenced to date, researchers say they've unlocked potential secrets to the animal's longevity...

Nearly 50 Years Later, Man Charged in Deaths of 3 Women

Authorities say Mississippi's Warren Alexander strangled victims in 1977 in Southern California

(Newser) - A 73-year-old man has been charged in the strangulation deaths of three Southern California women in 1977 after cold case detectives obtained a DNA match, authorities said Thursday, adding they believe there could be more victims. Warren Luther Alexander of Diamondhead, Mississippi, made his first court appearance Thursday, but arraignment...

Cold-Case Murder Suspect Kills Himself as Cops Close In

DNA evidence indicates Hawaii's Albert Lauro Jr. raped Dana Ireland in 1991

(Newser) - A man identified as a new possible suspect in the killing and sexual assault of a Virginia woman who was visiting Hawaii more than three decades ago killed himself recently after police took a DNA swab from him, officials said. The Hawaii Police Department on Monday said they matched DNA...

Gene Fights Pancreatic Cancer—Until It Doesn't
Gene Fights Pancreatic
Cancer—Until It Doesn't
NEW STUDY
Jul 16, 2024 1:20 PM CDT

Gene Fights Pancreatic Cancer—Until It Doesn't

Disease switches off beneficial gene HNF4A, a finding that could lead to new treatments

(Newser) - Pancreatic cancer succeeds by shutting down a gene that works to slow the growth of the disease, a breakthrough discovery that could lead to new treatments for one of the world's deadliest cancers. "Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival of all the 20 common cancers," says Dr....

Niagara Falls Victim's Body Was Found 140 Miles Away

Vincent Stack's remains likely drifted for 16 months

(Newser) - Remains found on the shores of Lake Ontario 32 years ago have now been identified as those of a New York man who's believed to have gone over Niagara Falls. CBS News reports the "badly decomposed and mostly skeletal" remains were found some 140 miles from the falls...

Report: 'Star' DNA Scientist Manipulated Evidence

Colorado probe into work of Yvonne 'Missy' Woods says her manipulation affected at least 652 cases

(Newser) - An esteemed analyst known as "Colorado's star DNA scientist" purposely manipulated evidence for years, involving hundreds (if not more) of the cases she worked on and putting the spotlight on her entire career, according to an investigation. According to a report released Friday by the Colorado Bureau of...

23andMe Has Gone From Hot to Not. Can Its CEO Save It?

Stocks are trading below $1, but Anne Wojcicki sees promise in drug development

(Newser) - Genetic testing company 23andMe's stock is trading at around 75 cents as of this writing, a precipitous fall for a company that the Wall Street Journal dubs "one of the hottest startups in the world ... five years ago." Its valuation has fallen 98% from its former $6...

They Were Stabbed and Left to Die. 50 Years Later, a Suspect

Indianapolis cops say Thomas Edward Williams, attacked 2 sisters, friend in 1975; he has since died

(Newser) - A nearly 50-year-old cold case surrounding three young girls stabbed and left to die in an Indiana cornfield has finally reached a conclusion, although it's one that will end without justice. In a Thursday presser , the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department announced that DNA evidence was able to help identify...

Here, Doggy DNA Is Key to a 'Poo Crackdown'

Bolzano province in Italy setting up database to nail pooches pooping in public, with a fine for owners

(Newser) - An Italian province is sick of this crap, and it's not going to take it anymore. A database is being set up in Bolzano, in the northern part of the country, to register DNA info from the region's 40,000 or so dogs, so that when they poop...

Moon Lander—and Its Human Remains—to Burn
Doomed Lunar
Lander Meets
Its End
UPDATED
Jan 19, 2024 12:30 AM CST

Doomed Lunar Lander Meets Its End

Astrobotic's Peregrine burns up reentering Earth's atmosphere, along with human remains

(Newser) - The doomed Peregrine moon lander burned up in Earth's atmosphere over a remote stretch of the South Pacific on Thursday, as planned after the spacecraft suffered a malfunction that left it unable to reach the moon. "We commend @Astrobotic for their perseverance," NASA said in a statement...

Remains of Victim at World Trade Center Are Identified

John Niven's family say officials' effort reflects 'Never Forget'

(Newser) - The remains of a Long Island man killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11 have been identified more than two decades after the 2001 attacks, the New York City medical examiner's office announced Thursday. John Ballantine Niven was a 44-year-old executive at Aon Risk Services, an insurance firm...

Ancient DNA Provides 'Quantum Leap' in Understanding of MS

Herders who migrated to Europe 5K years ago brought increased risk of disease, researchers say

(Newser) - Around 5,000 years ago, a people called the Yamnaya swept into northwestern Europe on horseback, bringing their wagons, cattle, and sheep—along with genes that researchers believe are responsible for higher rates of multiple sclerosis in the region today. In a study published in the journal Nature , researchers say...

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