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"It is now possible to trace the migratory paths of anatomically modern humans using genetic data. Early research pointed to a sub-Saharan African origin for modern humans by around 200,000-150,000 years ago1, and analyses of autosomal markers2 and Y DNA haplogroups3, 4 suggest the earliest structuring of the human population occurred approximately 140,000 years ago5,6,7,8. Initial efforts to characterize the movement of early humans in relation to ancestry grouped populations according to five geographical regions: Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe/the Middle East/Central Asia/South Asia, East Asia, Oceania, and the Americas9. Subsequent analyses allowed for refinement of the genetic history of global ancestries, revealing regional structure through the identification of 710, 1411, and 19 ancestries2."

Thousands of different genetic mutations have been implicated in cancer, but a new analysis of almost 10,000 patients found that regardless of the cancer's origin, tumors could be stratified in only 112 subtypes and that, within each subtype, the Master Regulator proteins that control the cancer's transcriptional state were virtually identical, independent of the specific genetic mutations of each patient.

The phenomenon where a mutation overrides another genetic defect is known as genetic suppression and it is not unique to yeasts. Genome sequencing studies have revealed individuals who remain healthy despite carrying catastrophic inborn errors whose usual harmful effects are somehow masked by other unknown changes in their genomes.

Given time, biology will advance to the point where things can be done that cannot be defined right now, such as changing the way people think; changing their allegiance; diseases which cannot be cured or treated or prevented; a Pandora's box," he told The Current's guest host Gillian Findlay.

Because thinking minds are different from evolving organisms and self-assembling molecules, we cannot expect them to use the same means-mechanisms like genetic drift and thermal vibrations-to overcome deep valleys in the landscapes they explore. But they must have some way to achieve the same purpose. As it turns out, they have more than just one-many more. But one of the most important is play.