Music and Genomes: Beethoven’s Genes Put to the Test

What the Exceptional Composer’s DNA Tells Us About Genetics

28-Mar-2024 - To what extent are exceptional human achievements influenced by genetic factors? This question, dating back to the early days of human genetics, seems to be easier to address today as modern molecular methods make it possible to analyze DNA of individuals throughout history. But how reliable are ...

Piecing together the full picture of the genome

Revolutionary new DNA sequencing method enables unparalleled rapid, accurate, and efficient analysis while preserving the full picture of a genome

17-Jun-2021 - A team of international researchers from the Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society developed a new DNA sequencing method that provides fast and efficient tracking of genetic information. Their new technique called haplotagging now enables scientists to quickly and precisely ...

New method: Y chromosomes of Neandertals and Denisovans now sequenced

Neandertals have adopted male sex chromosome from modern humans

28-Sep-2020 - An international research team led by Martin Petr and Janet Kelso of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, has determined Y chromosome sequences of three Neandertals and two Denisovans. These Y chromosomes provide new insights into the relationships and ...

On the trail of cancer stem cells

What goes on inside and between individual cells during the very earliest stages of tumor development?

24-Feb-2020 - Single cell sequencing technologies and a mouse model have enabled researchers to comprehensively map the cellular diversity of whole salivary gland tumors and trace the path of cancer stem cells. Two research teams from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine and their collaborators have ...

A bucket full of genes: pond water reveals tropical frogs

30-Aug-2018 - When a frog jumps into a pond, it inevitably leaves behind traces of its genetic material. Using water samples from the Bolivian lowlands, Senckenberg scientists were now able to demonstrate that the analysis of this so-called environmental DNA allows the reliable identification of the frog ...