From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A study led by the University of Arizona suggests a coronavirus pandemic hit East Asia approximately 20,000 years ago and was so severe it left an imprint on the DNA of people alive today.
In the last 20 years, three different coronaviruses have infected humans and caused respiratory diseases: COVID-19, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), all three of which have origins that point to animal to human transmission.
The study, entitled “An ancient viral epidemic involving host coronavirus interacting genes more than 20,000 years ago in East Asia,” published in the journal Cell Biology, had researchers comparing genetic variations in other coronaviruses that can infect people but usually only cause mild symptoms, with a surprising discovery.
Two of the more mild coronaviruses, one known as HCoV-HKU1, is estimated to have jumped from animal to humans in the 1950s, and another known as HCoV-NL63, may have crossed the species barrier as far back as 820 years ago, the study states.
In order to trace coronaviruses even further back, researchers flipped the script and instead of studying the genetic material of the coronaviruses, studied the effects the diseases had on the DNA of the infected humans.
The study details how viruses can affect the genetic information passed from one human to its offspring, including mutations that protect against viruses, but as the virus mutates, so does the host defences.
Researchers looked at DNA from thousands of people from 26 different populations across the globe from the 1000 Genomes Project dataset, comparing the combination of genes crucial for coronaviruses but not other pathogens.
When comparing DNA from East Asian populations, the researchers found that 42 of the genes studied had a distinct marker, or dominant gene, that was “absent from other populations” which pointed to people in ancient East Asia adapting to a coronavirus thousands of years ago.
The study found that all of the 42 genes studied from the East Asian populations had the same number of mutations and had all rapidly evolved at approximately the same time – an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 years ago, likely over hundreds of years.
“Our results are consistent with the emergence of a viral epidemic 900 generations or 25,000 years (28 years per generation) ago that drove a burst of strong positive selection [genetic mutations] in East Asia,” the study states.
The findings are particularly surprising as at that time in history, people in East Asia were not living in dense communities but were instead formed into small bands of hunter-gatherers, which eventually formed into agricultural societies some 10,000 years ago.
The study states the researchers hope their findings will help provide the basis for future drug and therapeutic developments to treat coronaviruses, and to assist in the prediction and prevention of future epidemics.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Careful attention to government statements and legislation is required to get a handle on the level of risk British Columbians’ information is under, as investigators probe multiple breaches under a continued barrage of attacks.
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly US$6 billion blockbuster 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.