International Society of Genetic Genealogy

Caffeine could slow cellular ageing, new research shows how

“…scientists made a surprising discovery: caffeine doesn’t act on this growth switch directly. Instead, it works by activating another important system called AMPK, a cellular fuel gauge that is evolutionarily conserved in yeast and humans.” #DNA #epigenetics #coffee

www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2...

Huge Study Reveals 2 Vaccines That Appear to Reduce Dementia Risk Some immunizations may be quietly protecting us from cognitive decline.

Have you had the Shingles vaccine? If you’ve had the Shingles vaccine (and/or RSV vax) then you may have given yourself a dementia preventative. #isogg #dna #shingles #shingrix #RSV #epigenetics www.sciencealert.com/huge-study-r...

Insulin-inspired peptides may open new pathways to treat Alzheimer’s disease

“Intranasal insulin has been clinically tested in Alzheimer’s Disease patients, demonstrating positive effects on memory and a decrease in Aβ42 levels.” #DNA #epigenetics #isogg #Alzheimers #insulin

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

“Over an average follow-up of 6.7 years, 280 participants, or 27.3 percent, were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Researchers found that 39 percent of the “total effect of egg intake” was linked to choline, a nutrient in egg yolks known to support memory & brain function.”
thehill.com/policy/healt...

New enzyme can be "turned off" to restore cholesterol balance and reduce inflammation Scientists at The University of Texas at Arlington have identified a new enzyme that can be "turned off" to help the body maintain healthy cholesterol levels-a significant development that could lead ...

“When IDO1 is blocked, however, macrophages regain their ability to absorb cholesterol.This suggests that reducing IDO1 activity could offer a new way to help prevent heart disease by keeping cholesterol levels in check.” #DNA #isogg #epigenetics #cholesterol

www.news-medical.net/news/2025062...

A light-regulated circadian timer optimizes neutrophil bactericidal activity to boost daytime immunity The neutrophil clockwork boosts daytime immunity against bacterial infection.

“These findings identify a light-responsive cell-intrinsic timer that controls time-of-day variations in antibacterial activity.” #isogg #DNA #epigenetics #circadian

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Does Alzheimer’s even come close to being an

Does Alzheimer’s even come close to being an Autoimmune Disease? #DNA #epigenetic #isogg
www.j-alz.com/editors-blog...

Examining sleep deficiency and disturbance and their risk for incident dementia and all-cause mortality in older adults across 5 years in the United States - PubMed Addressing sleep disturbance and deficiency may have a positive impact on risk for incident dementia and all-cause mortality among older adults.

“Addressing sleep disturbance and deficiency may have a positive impact on risk for incident dementia and all-cause mortality among older adults.”
#isogg #epigenetics #dementia #alzheimers

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33570509/

DNA shows ancient Egyptians had surprising foreign roots – DW – 07/02/2025 Scientists have sequenced the oldest known DNA from ancient Egypt. It belonged to a potter who lived 4,500 years ago. This rare genetic snapshot offers new insights into the diverse ancestry of early ...

“Their study, published in the journal Nature, describes the first whole ancient Egyptian genome, and the oldest DNA sample from Egypt to date.” #DNA #isogg #Egypt #Nature

amp.dw.com/en/dna-shows...

Frontiers | Gene therapy for hearing loss: challenges and the promise of cellular plasticity and epigenetic modulation Hearing loss can profoundly impact an individual’s quality of life, affecting communication, social interactions, and overall well-being. Many people with he...

“This innovative strategy could potentially revolutionize our ability to address genetic hearing impairments, offering hope for more effective and durable treatments for individuals across a wider age range and at various stages of hearing loss progression.” #DNA
www.frontiersin.org/journals/neu...

Ancient DNA reveals diverse community organizations in the 5th millennium BCE Carpathian Basin - Nature Communications A genomic study of 125 individuals from the Carpathian Basin (4800–3900 BCE) reveals different kinship systems in nearby Copper Age communities, and highlights both genetic continuity and contrasting ...

“Using population genetics, kinship analyses and the study of networks of identity-by-descent haplotype segment sharing, we elucidate the social and genetic dynamics of these communities between 4800−3900 calibrated years BCE.” #isogg #ancientdna #DNA #CarpathianBasin
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Epigenetics – Lay Version

New to epigenetics? University College London has produced Epigenetics for the Lay Person. #DNA #isogg #epigenetics

www.ucl.ac.uk/population-h...

DNA reveals Poland’s first kings may have Scottish origins, challenging founding myths DNA analysis suggests Poland’s Piast dynasty may trace its origins to ancient Scottish Picts, reshaping early Polish royal history.

“Mitochondrial DNA extracted from these cemeteries showed that although the female line was linked to Early Neolithic farming communities, the male line was similar to that of Jutlandic populations.” #isogg #ancientdna #DNA #Scotland
archaeologymag.com/2025/06/pola...

This Common Herb May Hold the Key to Fighting Alzheimer’s, According to a New Study A compound derived from rosemary, known as carnosic acid, has been transformed into a potent brain-boosting drug that combats Alzheimer’s by reducing inflammation and stress in the brain — all while e...

“The authors explained that carnosic acid works by activating enzymes in the body's "natural defense system." They created a stable form known as diAcCA, which once consumed, converts to carnosic acid in the gut and is then absorbed into the bloodstream.”#isogg
www.foodandwine.com/rosemary-car...

Regulation of epigenetics and chromosome structure by human ORC2 We report a multi-omics study in a human cell line with mutations in three subunits of origin-recognition complex (ORC). Although the ORC subunits sho…

ChatGPT 4.5 summary: Human cells with mutations in 3 of the 6 proteins making up the Origin Recognition Complex (ORC) a group typically known for starting DNA replication. It breaks the long-held view that ORC’s job ends at replication. #isogg #DNA #epigenetics
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity: How Centenarians Defy Aging A new longevity study reveals a sophisticated interplay of genetics, epigenetics, metabolism, immunity, and lifestyle. What if living past 90 was not just a lucky break, but the result of a fascinatin...

“For example, APOE ε2 is known to offer protection against cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s. FOXO3A helps cells handle oxidative stress and repair DNA, both key processes in aging.” #DNA #epigenetics #isogg #aging

scitechdaily.com/unlocking-th...

Photo of man from the nose up. Half his hair is brown and half is grey.

“Why Aging Comes in Dramatic Waves in Our 40s and 60s
A new study suggests that waves of aging-related changes occur at two distinct points in our life” #DNA #isogg #aging #epigenetics

www.scientificamerican.com/article/dras...

Rilmenidine extends lifespan and healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans via a nischarin I1‐imidazoline receptor Rilmenidine has prolongevity and health preserving effects in C. elegans, increased stress resistance and increased autophagy. The stress-resilience, healthspan, and lifespan benefits of rilmenidine ...

“In summary, this research presents a novel case for rilmenidine to be considered a potential calorie restriction mimetic through its prolongevity and health preserving effects, increased stress resistance, and increased autophagy.” #isogg #DNA #epigenetics

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

The Most Mysterious Cells in Our Bodies Don’t Belong to Us You carry literal pieces of your mom—and maybe your grandma, and your siblings, and your aunts and uncles.

“The presence of these cells, known as microchimerism, is thought to affect every person who has carried an embryo, even if briefly, and anyone who has ever inhabited a womb.” #DNA #isogg #microchimerism #pregnancy

www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...

Targeting epigenetic regulators to overcome drug resistance in the emerging human fungal pathogen Candida auris - Nature Communications In this work, authors show that the key epigenetic regulator Gcn5 contributes to multidrug resistance in Candida auris. The inhibition of its activity by CPTH2 synergizes with caspofungin, presenting ...

Interesting study that may help combat super-bugs.

“Mutants deficient in these enzymes exhibit varying degrees of antifungal drug sensitivity.” #DNA #isogg #epigenetics #C.auris

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Reappraisal of the Morphological Affinities of the Maba 1 Cranium: New Evidence From Internal Cranial Anatomy Objectives Maba 1 is a critical fossil from the late Middle Pleistocene Asia. It is well-known for the Neanderthal-like face, while its neurocranium shows affinities with many hominin taxa, which ma...

Looks like another new hominid! Here’s the telling sentence: “Maba 1 currently cannot be definitely classified in any known hominin taxon.” #AncientDNA #isogg #hominid #Maba1

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Epigenetic variation in light of population genetic practice - Nature Communications Epigenetic variation can impact evolutionary processes to varying extents depending on its transgenerational stability and degree of environmental influence. This Perspective discusses the potential f...

“Where site-by-site analyses are strongly underpowered for small effect differences, other methods incorporating statistics, machine learning, or averaging across many genes in the genome can still extract useful information on the factors shaping epigenetic variation”
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

New @nataging.nature.com
Our body-wide pace of aging predicts healthspan and lifespan: outcomes of mortality, morbidity, cognitive impairment, and disability in US and UK cohorts
www.nature.com/articles/s43...

p-tau217 has been available in the US for the past ~2 years (Quest and LabCorp)
the p-Tau217/Aβ42 ratio test (Lumipulse) was just approved by FDA last week for people with memory problems
gift link www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/h...

Genetic Ancestry and Lung Cancer in Latin American Patients: A Crucial Step for Understanding a Diverse Population Lung cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Latin America. While incidence and mortality rates are higher in other populations…

“Genetic studies have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with ancestry as key contributors to lung cancer risk and outcomes, emphasizing the importance of genomic insights for early detection and personalized treatments.” #ISOGG #epigenetics

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Human brain sialoglycan ligand for CD33, a microglial inhibitory Siglec implicated in Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by accumulation of misfolded proteins. Genetic studies implicate microglia, brain-resident phagocytic immune cells, in AD pathogenesis. As positive effectors,...

“We infer that the inhibitory activity of CD33, and other Siglecs on human microglia, may limit phagocytosis of misfolded proteins, contribute to disease progression. Inhibitory Siglec ligands in the brain, are potential AD-modifying agents and therapeutic targets.” #DNA
www.jbc.org/article/S002...

Highly accurate blood test diagnoses Alzheimer’s disease, measures extent of dementia | WashU Medicine Could help determine which patients are likely to benefit from new Alzheimer’s drugs

“In the study, the researchers found that levels of a protein called MTBR-tau243 in the blood accurately reflect the amount of toxic accumulation of tau aggregates in the brain and correlate with the severity of Alzheimer’s disease.” #DNA #isogg #epigenetics
medicine.washu.edu/news/highly-...

“Future studies should investigate levels of taurine in people with leukemia, Bajaj said. But most importantly: “Our current data suggest that it would be helpful to develop stable and effective ways to block taurine from entering leukemia cells,” she said.
www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/a...

Cancer Epigenetics Researcher Builds a Foundation for Future Treatments - InventUM Sylvester researcher Dr. Lluis Morey’s epigenetics research has led to a potential new treatment for head and neck cancers.

“Dr. Morey’s epigenetics research has led to a potential new treatment for head and neck cancers. He found that about 20% of head and neck cancer patients had specific defects in the chemical modification of histones, building blocks of epigenetics.” #DNA #isogg news.med.miami.edu/cancer-epige...

Scientists Sequenced the DNA of the ‘Last Neanderthal’—and It Alters Human History Discover new clues about how our ancient relatives disappeared from time.

“The population of Thorin had spent 50 millennia without exchanging a single gene with the classical Neanderthal populations.” #DNA #isogg #neanderthals #ancientdna

www.popularmechanics.com/science/arch...