Coronavirus Epidemics first hit more than 21,000 years ago
On Sept. 2 , 2021, an Oxford University Study showed that the most recent common ancestor of these…
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Theophrastus wrote of Greeks rotating their staple crops to enhance soil fertility
Greek philosopher Theophrastus (371-287 BCE), the “Father of Botany” wrote of Greeks rotating their staple crops with broad…
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Neandertal gene variant increases risk of severe Covid-19
On Sept. 30, 2020, researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary…
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Y chromosomes of Neandertals and Denisovans was sequenced
On Sept. 24, 2020, an international research team led by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in…
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Oldest relative of ragworms and earthworms discovered
On Jun. 11, 2020, scientists at the Universities of Oxford, Exeter, Yunnan and Bristol announced they had discovered…
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Date palm breeding began
On Oct. 15, 2019, scientists reported that date palms are one of the oldest domesticated perennial crops, with…
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Cacao, the plant from which chocolate is made was domesticated
On Oct. 29, 2018, Archaeological evidence of cacao’s use, dating back to 3,900 years ago, previously planted the…
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First wine making was discovered
On. Nov. 13, 2017, research by Dr. Patrick McGovern, Director of the Biomolecular Archaeology Laboratory at the University…
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Scientists discovered the oldest evidence of life on Earth in fossils located in the Nuvvuagittuq belt in Quebec
On Mar. 2, 2017, scientists discovered the oldest evidence of life on Earth in fossilized microorganisms that are…
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Humans began domesticating crops and livestock
On Oct. 31, 2016, scientists reported that humans domestication of crops and livestock are dated to 14000 BCE…
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UCLA scientists find evidence for earliest life on earth
On Oct. 19, 2015, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) geochemists announced evidence that life likely existed on…
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Genome of 8,500-year-old North American skeleton, known as Kennewick Man, was sequenced
On Jun. 18, 2015, a study, “The Ancestry and Affiliations of Kennewick Man” in the journal Nature, based…
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The first Ancient North American genome was sequenced
On Feb. 12, 2014, scientists, led by ancient DNA expert Eske Willerslev of the University of Copenhagen and…
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UW scientists unearth Neanderthal genes in modern humans
On Jan. 29, 2014, Neanderthal genes were unearthed in modern humans by University of Washington scientists Benjamin Vernot…
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DNA analysis unearthed origins of Minoans, the first major European civilization
On May 14, 2013, a University of Washington led team announced that DNA analysis had unearthed the origins…
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2012 Lasker awards honor scientists for groundbreaking medical research
On Sept. 10, 2012, the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation announced winners of the annual Lasker Awards: Michael…
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Soybeans were domesticated
On Jan. 6, 2012, scientists reported that small-seeded soybeans indicating wild-type soybeans date to 9,000 years ago. Historical…
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The genome of our closest relative, the Neandertal, was sequenced
On May 7, 2010, in a paper released in Science, an international consortium announced sequencing the genome of…
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Smallpox appeared in the first agricultural settlements in northeastern Africa
On Jan. 8, 2005, researchers from Baylor University Medical Center reported that although the origin of smallpox is…
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Analysis of genes in living organisms suggested that the world’s first animals emerged a billion years ago
On Jun. 14, 1996, an analysis of genes in living organisms suggested that the world’s first animals emerged…
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Michael Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” novel was published, introducing DNA technology to a wide audience
On Nov. 20, 1990, Michael Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” novel was pulbished, introducing DNA technology to a wide audience….
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Researchers collected a sample of boiling water from hot springs in Yellowstone leading to discovery of extremophiles
On Jun. 20, 1964, a team of researchers led by Dr. Thomas Brock, then a professor at the…
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In the first recorded act of biological warfare, Scythians archers used poison-tipped arrows
In 400 BCE, Greek historian Herodotus wrote of Scythians archers from the Black Sea region that used poison-tipped…
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Potatoes, the world’s most widely grown tuber crop, were first cultivated
Around 8000 BCE, Potatoes, the world’s most widely grown tuber crop, were first cultivated for food in area…
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Biotechnology | Diagnostics | Disease | Life Science History | Marine Science | Prehistory | Therapeutics
Chinese medical writings recorded decreases in goiter size upon ingestion of seaweed (iodine)
Early Chinese medical writings in approximately 3600 B.C. were the first to record the decreases in goiter size…
