Scienceblogtwo

A barrier island off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland has had its history rewritten by an abandoned Caribbean colony unearthed centuries later and a case of identity confusion in the archaeological record. These ostensibly unrelated strands were knitted together when Nicolas Delsol, a postdoctoral researcher at the Florida Museum of Natural History, set out to investigate ancient DNA extracted from cow bones found in archaeological sites. Delsol sought to understand the origins of cattle domestication in the Americas, and he found the answer in the genetic data contained in thousands of year-old teeth. They did, however, also have a surprise. It was a happy accident, he claimed. "For my Ph.D., I sequenced mitochondrial DNA from fossil cow teeth, and when I evaluated the sequences, I noticed something was really wrong with one of the specimens." The DNA of one of the earliest horses brought to the Americas, represented by this tooth, is helping to rewrite the history of the...

In a proof-of-concept study, University of Pennsylvania researchers showed that dental plaque and germs that cause tooth decay could be successfully treated and removed by a hands-free device. In the future, a shape-changing robotic microswarm could replace the need for separate toothbrushes, rinses, and dental floss. The technology, developed by a multidisciplinary team at the University of Pennsylvania, may offer a fresh, automated way to do the daily tasks of brushing and flossing, which are tedious but crucial. This technique could be very beneficial for persons who lack the physical dexterity to effectively clean their teeth on their own. Iron oxide nanoparticles with catalytic and magnetic characteristics make up these tiny robots. Using a magnetic field, scientists were able to manipulate their motion and design, producing either elongated threads that can slide between teeth like floss or bristle-like structures that remove dental plaque off the vast surfaces of teeth. In both ...