The study of genetics has long been shaped by the availability of data from various regions around the world. However, despite its vast population diversity, India remains underrepresented in global genetic datasets. A recent study published in Cell Press’s journal Cell aimed to fill this critical gap and reshape our understanding of how ancient migrations, archaic admixture, and social structures have influenced Indian genetic variation.

The researchers analyzed genomic data from over 2,700 people across India, capturing genetic variation from most geographic regions, linguistic groups, and communities. Their findings revealed that the majority of modern-day Indians’ ancestry can be traced back to Neolithic Iranian farmers, Eurasian Steppe pastoralists, and South Asian hunter-gatherers.

“This study fills a critical gap and reshapes our understanding of how ancient migrations, archaic admixture, and social structures have shaped Indian genetic variation,” says senior author Priya Moorjani of the University of California, Berkeley. “Studying these subpopulations allows us to explore how ancient ancestry, geography, language, and social practices interacted to shape genetic variation.

The researchers used data from the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) and generated whole-genome sequences from 2,762 individuals in India, including people who spoke a range of different languages. They used these data to reconstruct the evolutionary history of India over the past 50,000 years at fine scale, showing how history impacts adaptation and disease in present-day Indians.

Their study showed that most Indians derive ancestry from populations related to three ancestral groups: Neolithic Iranian farmers, Eurasian Steppe pastoralists, and South Asian hunter-gatherers. This is a significant finding, as it highlights the complex population history of India and its impact on genetic variation related to disease.

The researchers also focused on the impact of archaic hominin ancestry – specifically, Neanderthal and Denisovan – on disease susceptibility. They found that some genes inherited from these archaic groups have an impact on immune functions.

One of the most striking findings was that India harbors the highest variation in Neanderthal ancestry among non-Africans. This allowed the researchers to reconstruct around 50% of the Neanderthal genome and 20% of the Denisovan genome from Indian individuals, more than any other previous archaic ancestry study.

The limitations of this work were acknowledged by the researchers, who noted that the limited availability of ancient DNA from South and Central Asia will require refinement as more data becomes available. They plan to continue studying the LASI cohort to enable a closer look at the source of genetic adaptations and disease variants across India.

Overall, this study provides a deeper understanding of the origin of functional variation and informs precision health strategies in India. It also highlights the importance of including diverse populations in genetic studies to prevent biased interpretations of genetic patterns and uncover functional variation related to all major communities.

The deep-sea mining industry is planning to extract valuable resources from the remote Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. However, new research has raised alarming concerns about the impact this activity could have on ocean life, including whales and dolphins.

A team of researchers from the University of Exeter conducted two studies, which found that the CCZ is home to a diverse range of marine species, including an endangered sperm whale. The studies highlight the urgent need for assessing the risks associated with deep-sea mining in these ecosystems.

“We know remarkably little about these ecosystems, which are hundreds of miles offshore and include very deep waters,” said Dr. Kirsten Young, one of the researchers involved in the study. “Many species here are long-lived and slow-growing, especially on the seabed. It’s very hard to predict how seabed mining might affect these species and wider ecosystems, and these risks must urgently be assessed.”

One of the research papers reviews noise sensitivity among species known to live in the CCZ. The results show that only 35% of taxonomic classes there have been studied for noise impacts. Soniferous fish, which rely on acoustic communication, are particularly vulnerable to noise. Chronic exposure to mining noise might have cascading ecological consequences, disrupting key behaviors, the researchers say.

The second study is a survey of whales and dolphins conducted from the Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise. Over 13 days of visual and acoustic monitoring, there were 74 acoustic detections and six sightings. These included a sperm whale, Risso’s dolphins, common dolphins, and 70 dolphin groups that could not be identified to species level.

Dr. Young emphasized that if deep seabed mining becomes a reality, whales and dolphins will be exposed to multiple sources of noise throughout the water column. Many species are highly sensitive to certain frequencies – chronic ocean noise can mask social and foraging communications, and whales could be displaced from critical habitats.

“The behavior and impact of sediment plumes created by mining is also poorly understood but could affect food webs,” Dr. Young added.

Louisa Casson of Greenpeace International stated, “The confirmed presence of cetaceans, including threatened sperm whales, in areas that The Metals Company is targeting for deep sea mining is yet another clear warning that this dangerous industry must never be allowed to begin commercial operations.”

The two research papers are published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin and Frontiers in Marine Science, respectively. They provide a compelling argument for why deep-sea mining should not proceed without further consideration of its potential impacts on marine ecosystems and the species that inhabit them.

Scientists at ETH Zurich have made a groundbreaking discovery – they’ve created a living building material that captures CO2 from the air using photosynthetic bacteria. This innovative material has the potential to revolutionize the way we build and sustain our cities.

The research team, led by Professor Mark Tibbitt, has successfully incorporated cyanobacteria into a printable gel, creating a structure that grows and actively removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The special thing about this living material is its ability to store carbon not only in biomass but also in minerals, making it an effective solution for carbon sequestration.

“We utilize this ability specifically in our material,” says Yifan Cui, one of the lead authors of the study. “Cyanobacteria are among the oldest life forms in the world. They are highly efficient at photosynthesis and can utilize even the weakest light to produce biomass from CO2 and water.”

The team has also optimized the geometry of the structures using 3D printing processes, increasing the surface area and promoting the flow of nutrients to keep the cyanobacteria alive and efficient.

This living material has significant implications for urban planning. The researchers envision it as a low-energy and environmentally friendly approach that can bind CO2 from the atmosphere and supplement existing chemical processes for carbon sequestration.

“We want to investigate how the material can be used as a coating for building façades to bind CO2 throughout the entire life cycle of a building,” says Professor Tibbitt.

The concept has already caught the attention of architects, who have taken up the idea and realized initial interpretations in an experimental way. Two installations at the Architecture Biennale in Venice and Milan showcase the potential of this living material in sustainable urban planning.

One installation uses the printed structures as living building blocks to construct tree-trunk-like objects that can bind up to 18 kg of CO2 per year, about as much as a 20-year-old pine tree in the temperate zone. The other installation investigates the potential of living materials for future building envelopes, using microorganisms to form a deep green patina on wooden shingles.

The photosynthetic living material was created thanks to an interdisciplinary collaboration within the framework of ALIVE (Advanced Engineering with Living Materials), an ETH Zurich initiative that promotes collaboration between researchers from different disciplines in order to develop new living materials for a wide range of applications.