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DNA is the key to understanding life. In many cases, genes – specific sequences of DNA – are the starting point to develop better medicines, solve crimes, improve crops, manage conservation, and much more. Take giraffes, the tallest animals on Earth. They have a complicated evolutionary history. Scientists are still figuring out how different giraffe populations are related and how many species there are – which will guide efforts to protect them. Biologist Laura Bertola shares what she learned from giraffe DNA.
In this newsletter, we share a selection of articles about how researchers in different fields are using DNA studies. These include: a study that changes everything we knew about the evolutionary history of modern elephants, a DNA recovery technique which could help women bring rapists to justice and a look at how genetically modified mosquitoes could help in the fight against malaria.
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Wale Fatade
Commissioning Editor: Nigeria
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Laura Bertola, Leiden University
Giraffes show remarkable genetic differences between populations.
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Julien Benoit, University of the Witwatersrand
DNA studies reveal that African elephants belong to a very successful and widespread family.
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Shüné Oliver, National Institute for Communicable Diseases; Jaishree Raman, National Institute for Communicable Diseases
Methods that don’t rely on insecticides are needed to bolster the fight against mosquito-borne diseases.
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April J Burt, University of Oxford; Noam Vogt-Vincent, University of Hawaii
Baby corals may hold promise for building coral reef resilience in Seychelles and beyond.
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Patrick Omeja, Makerere University
Many animal species can be detected using a simple, low tech method of collecting DNA from the environment.
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Ademola Adenle, Technical University of Denmark
Genetically modified crops are increasing yield and food security in developed countries, but in Africa, a lack of adoption is limiting success.
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Alan G Morris, University of Cape Town
A rush of ancient DNA projects in Africa has presented the curators of archaeological skeletons with ethical issues because research requires the destruction of human bone.
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Lisa Smith, University of Leicester; Heather D. Flowe, University of Birmingham; Jon Wetton, University of Leicester; Mark Jobling, University of Leicester
Self-examination DNA collection techniques can help women bring the perpetrators of sexual violence to justice.
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Andi Wilson, University of Pretoria; Brenda Wingfield, University of Pretoria; Michael John Wingfield, University of Pretoria
Through a blend of perseverance, technology, and a touch of serendipity, it was possible to solve a decades-old mystery.
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Laura Tensen, University of Copenhagen
Research exploring how leopards evolved has found that South African leopards are descended from an ice age a million years ago.
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Lukoye Atwoli, Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC); Anne Stevenson, Harvard University
Research on the genetic basis of mental illness has so far largely excluded anyone who is not of European heritage.
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