Scientists Map DNA of Woolly Mammoth

DNA samples still exist for many extinct megafauna

(NEWSER) - Now that scientists have the woolly mammoth’s genome, the possibility of resurrecting the giant creatures—and other impressive species from our planet’s past—is a bit closer. Which megafauna would you bring back? New Scientist lists its favorites:

• Sabre-toothed tiger. This massive cat with huge fangs would surely be an impressive, and terrifying, sight.
• Short-faced bear. This behemoth is a third taller than the polar bear when standing upright.

From the unfathomably small to the mind-blowingly huge, the most significant breakthroughs

(NEWSER) - The invention of the wheel was pretty good. Fire, even better. But what has science done for us lately? USA Today lists the top 25 scientific discoveries; here are the top 10:

1. Accelerating universe
2. Human genome
3. Climate accord

Genomics company unveiling new machine today

(NEWSER) - Want to map your genes, but don't have the $3,000 the cheapest sequencing currently costs? By the end of the year, you could be in luck: California genomics company Life Technologies Corp. will introduce a machine today that, by year's end, is expected to be able to map your entire genome for $1,000. Even better: The company says it will deliver results in one day, compared to the one week it currently takes, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

'They did it in less than 10 days': scientist

(NEWSER) - Video gamers have figured out a molecular puzzle that has long baffled scientists and may lead to crowd-sourced cures for AIDS and other illnesses, MSNBC reports. In a surprising step for so-called citizen science, players of the online game Foldit discovered the molecular structure of an enzyme in an AIDS-like virus found in monkeys. All it took was 12-15 dedicated gamers. "They actually did it in less than 10 days," says biochemist Firas Khatib. More»

Decoding could lead to new antibiotics, hope for wombats

(NEWSER) - What makes the kangaroo hop? That’s just one of the questions answered by international researchers who’ve decoded the genome of a kangaroo species, the BBC reports. The genome research team—the first to be led by Australian scientists—sequenced the genome in 2008 but finally completed its analysis of it and published those findings last week. "It's been a huge project," says one scientist. "I'm from Australia and it was going on when I was an undergraduate there 10 years ago." More»