Researchers used CRISPR to reintroduce an archaic variant of NOVA1 into cortical organoids to study how a human-specific variant may have affected evolution.
The researchers, who also performed whole-genome sequencing on 853 macaques, found new lineage-specific genes and expanded gene families in the monkeys.
Data presented at the ASHG virtual meeting highlighted the population insights that can be gleaned from IDB profiles in populations, including loci linked to blood traits.
Sequencing of ancient samples showed that Denisovan Y chromosomes split around 700,000 years ago from a lineage shared by Neanderthals and modern humans.
Ebola viruses passaged in bat renal cells appeared to be subject to RNA editing by host enzymes, while more adaptive mutations arose after passaging in a human kidney cell line.
With a new analytical tool, researchers uncovered ancient archaic hominin sequences in the Denisovan genome, along with human introgression into Neanderthals up to 300,000 years ago.
With genome sequence alignments and phylogenetic analyses focused on non-recombining regions, researchers traced the SARS-CoV-2 lineage in bats back at least 40 years.
Ancestral alleles "reintroduced" by Neanderthal admixture are prone to functional in the human genome, based on an analysis of East Asian, South Asian, and European sequences.