Western Australian families contributed crucial multi-generational DNA samples to help scientists map the hereditary patterns of stuttering, with some families providing samples spanning four generations to unlock the genetic puzzle.

The scientists have identified specific DNA markers that can predict which family members will develop stuttering, offering hope for early intervention for a speech disorder affecting over 400 million people worldwide through the largest genetic study ever conducted on the condition.

The research, published in Nature Genetics, confirmed the hereditary nature of stuttering after collecting saliva samples from participants across the globe, the journal reported. Among the contributors were 1,380 samples from multi-generational Western Australian families through the Curtin Stuttering Treatment Clinic, working alongside Wayne State University in Detroit.

Scientists uncovered 48 genes associated with stuttering and identified 57 related genomic hotspots, according to the study reported in the journal. The research revealed genetic connections between stuttering and neurodiversity, emotional regulation, and musical rhythm, suggesting a neurological foundation for the speech disorder.

Associate Professor Janet Beilby, founder of the Curtin Stuttering Treatment Clinic in the Curtin School of Allied Health, described the findings as revolutionary for millions of families dealing with this common speech condition. Her research, conducted with co-authors Dr Emily Lowther and Ms Kathy Viljoen from the Curtin School of Allied Health, has shown that stuttering affects families and impacts every aspect of a child's life into adulthood.

"This finding is life-changing for all those children who stutter," Beilby stated. "Stuttering is more than just a stutter – most children with a speech or language disorder (most notably a stutter) will be bullied at school and adults who stutter may face challenges in the workplace that can negatively affect their mental health and social wellbeing."

The genetic markers will enable clinicians to predict stuttering development through DNA analysis.  Beilby explained that early identification could facilitate intervention before the potentially lifelong consequences many people experience with stuttering occur.

"Based on what we've found in this research, we will be able to take a DNA sample and predict if the individual is likely to stutter or not. If we can identify who in a particular family will develop a stutter, we can intervene earlier to prevent the potentially life-long consequences of stuttering that many people experience."

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The genetic composition of high school friends can influence an individual's mental health, including traits related to psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, and addiction, which can have long-term consequences well into early adulthood.

A study led by a Rutgers Health professor has found that an individual's genetic predisposition to mental health and substance use disorders can significantly influence the risk of friends and peers developing the same disorders, even after controlling for genetic and socioeconomic factors.

The study highlights the emerging field of socio-genomics, which explores how an individual's genotype can impact the observable traits and health outcomes of their social network, particularly among those who attended the same school.

Genetic effects on mental health and substance use disorders were found to be stronger between school peers than those growing up in the same area, highlighting the importance of network-based and social interventions to address these socially costly disorders.

Genetic influences were found to be especially strong with peers in the same educational track

Peers' genetic traits can influence an individual's health trajectory, including their risk of developing drug and alcohol use disorders, depression, and anxiety.

The genetic influence of peers on psychiatric and addiction disorders can persist for at least a decade after school.

The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, used Swedish national data to assess peer social genetic effects on psychiatric disorders.

Sources: Iatronet, HTWorld, Newsroom Odisha, Fox 28 Spokane, Social News XYZ, Fox 41 Yakima, Newswise, Mirage News, Global News, Medical Xpress, US News, Top Santé, MDR

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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The shared history and identity of the Jewish people

For centuries, the Jewish people have seen themselves as a family, united by a shared history, common traditions, and a collective destiny. Whether they hailed from Germany, Poland, Iraq, or Yemen, Jews across the globe celebrated the same holidays, observed the same rituals, and passed down the same stories. This sense of familial connection was not just a metaphor – it was a deeply felt reality that transcended the boundaries of geography and biology.

However, the advent of DNA testing has raised an intriguing question: just how closely are Jews related to one another on a genetic level? As scientists delve into the genetic makeup of Jewish communities around the world, they are uncovering fascinating insights into the origins and history of the Jewish people.

Unraveling the genetic tapestry of the Jewish Diaspora

One of the most remarkable findings from genetic research is the discovery that the majority of Ashkenazi Jews – those whose families settled in Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe after being exiled from the Land of Israel – are descended from a relatively small pool of ancestors. In fact, roughly 40% of Ashkenazi Jews can trace their lineage back to just four women, while 80% share a common ancestry with seven men.

This is a testament to the resilience and endurance of the Jewish people, who managed to maintain their cultural and religious identity even as they were scattered across the globe. But it also highlights the unique demographic history of the Jewish diaspora, where small communities were often isolated from one another for centuries.

The genetic connections extend beyond the Ashkenazi community, however. Studies have shown that most Jewish communities, regardless of their geographic origins, share a genetic link that can be traced back to the Middle East – the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people. Whether their families ended up in Yemen, Georgia, Poland, or Iraq, Jews around the world are more genetically similar to one another than they are to their non-Jewish neighbors.

The priestly lineage: the Cohanim and the Lemba people

One of the most fascinating aspects of Jewish genetic research is the discovery of the Cohanim – a priestly class within the Jewish people who can trace their lineage back to the biblical figure of Aaron, the brother of Moses. Through the analysis of the Y-chromosome, which is passed down from father to son, scientists have found that a staggering 80% of men who identify as Cohanim share a common genetic marker that links them to their ancient Middle Eastern ancestors.

Through the analysis of the Y-chromosome, which is passed down from father to son, scientists have found that a staggering 80% of men who identify as Cohanim share a common genetic marker that links them to their ancient Middle Eastern ancestors.

But the genetic connections don't stop there. Researchers have also found that the Lemba people of Zimbabwe, who have long-claimed Jewish ancestry, have a priestly class called the Buba, which share this same Cohanim genetic marker, providing further evidence of their ancient ties to the Jewish diaspora.

DNA as a reinforcement, not a replacement, of Jewish identity

While genetic research has shed new light on the shared origins and connections of the Jewish people, it's important to remember that DNA is just one facet of a much larger and more complex identity. Our culture, values, and faith are not dictated by our genetic makeup – they are the product of thousands of years of history, tradition, and collective experience.

For the Jewish people, the story of our identity is not written in the double helix of our DNA, but in the sacred texts we have studied, the rituals we have observed, and the struggles we have endured. The genetic connections we share merely reinforce the bonds that have already been forged through our shared history and collective destiny.

Embracing the diversity and complexity of Jewish identity

As we continue to unravel the genetic mysteries of the Jewish people, it's crucial that we resist the temptation to oversimplify or politicize these findings. The reality is that the Jewish identity is a rich tapestry of diverse experiences, beliefs, and traditions – and no single genetic marker can capture the full breadth and depth of what it means to be a Jew.

Whether our ancestors hailed from the Middle East, Europe, or Africa, we are all part of the same family, bound together by a shared history, a common faith, and a collective sense of purpose. As we move forward, it is this shared sense of identity, rather than any genetic sign, that will continue to define and sustain the Jewish people for generations to come.

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For decades, Jackie Young had been searching.

Orphaned as an infant, he spent the first few years of his life in a Nazi internment camp in what is now the Czech Republic. After World War II he was taken to England, adopted and given a new name.

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As an adult, he struggled to learn of his origins and his family. He had some scant information about his birth mother, who died in a concentration camp. But about his father? Nothing. Just a blank space on a birth certificate.

That changed earlier this year when genealogists were able to use a DNA sample to help find a name — and some relatives he never knew he had.

Having that answer to a lifelong question has been "amazing," said Young, now 80 and living in London. It "opened the door that I thought would never get opened."

Now there's an effort underway to bring that possibility to other Holocaust survivors and their children.

The New York-based Center for Jewish History is launching the DNA Reunion Project, offering DNA testing kits for free through an application on its website. For those who use the kits it is also offering a chance to get some guidance on next steps from the genealogists who worked with Young.

Those genealogists, Jennifer Mendelsohn and Adina Newman, have been doing this kind of work over the last several years, and run a Facebook group about Jewish DNA and genetic genealogy.

The advent of DNA technology has opened up a new world of possibilities in addition to the paper trails and archives that Holocaust survivors and their descendants have used to learn about family connections severed by genocide, Newman said.

"There are times when people are separated and they don't even realize they're separated. Maybe a name change occurred so they didn't know to look for the other person," she said. "There are cases that simply cannot be solved without DNA."

While interest in genealogy and family trees is widespread, there's a particular poignancy in doing this work in a community where so many family ties have been ripped apart because of the Holocaust, Mendelsohn said.

Her earliest effort in this arena was for her husband's grandmother, who had lost her mother in a concentration camp. That effort led to aunts and cousins that no one in her husband's family had known about.

Her husband's uncle, she said, called afterwards and said, "You know, I've never seen a photograph of my grandmother. Now that I see photographs of her sisters, it's so comforting to me. I can imagine what she look like."

"How do you explain why that's powerful? It just is. People had nothing. Their families were erased. And now we can bring them back a little bit," Mendelsohn said.

She and Newman take pains to emphasize that there are no guarantees. Doing the testing or searching archives doesn't mean a guarantee of finding living relatives or new information. But it offers a chance.

They and the center are encouraging people to take that chance, especially as time passes and the number of living survivors declines.

"It really is the last moment where these survivors can be given some modicum of justice," said Gavriel Rosenfeld, president of the center.

"We feel the urgency of this," Newman said. "I wanted to start yesterday, and that's why it's like, no time like the present."

Rosenfeld said the center had allocated an initial $15,000 for the DNA kits in this initial pilot effort, which would cover about 500 of them. He said they would look to scale up further if they see enough interest.

Ken Engel thinks there will be. He leads a group in Minnesota for the children of Holocaust survivors and has already told his membership about the program.

"This is an important effort," Engel said. "It may reveal and disclose wonderful information for them that they never knew about, may make them feel more settled or more connected to the past."

Young definitely feels that way.

"I've been wanting to know all my life," he said. "If I hadn't known what I do know now, I think I would still felt that my left arm or my right arm wasn't fully formed. Family is everything, it's the major pillar of life in humanity."

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The Wolf Foundation said it was recognizing Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier for their work in developing the gene-editing tool CRISPR.

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Their research has the potential to "revolutionize medicine by paving the way to finding new forms of treatment for currently incurable diseases," the foundation said.

Gene editing is a way to permanently change DNA to attack the root causes of a gene-based disease. It can serve a wide variety of other uses too — from attacking malaria in mosquitoes to breeding hardier crops.

CRISPR is a tool that seeks out a precise piece of DNA inside living cells and slices it, allowing scientists to turn genes on or off, repair or replace them. It's long been used in the lab and is in early-stage testing for treating cancer and other diseases.

Doudna is also being recognized for her contribution to the ethical discourse surrounding this technology's use, the foundation said.

The Wolf Prize is considered one of the forerunners to a Nobel Prize. About three dozen Wolf laureates have gone on to win a Nobel.

Each year the Wolf Foundation honors artists and scientists in five fields "for achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among peoples" with the $100,000 prize.

Its categories include agriculture, architecture, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, music, painting, physics, and sculpture.

Other winners this year included Yacov Eliashberg and Simon Donaldson for mathematics; Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, Allan Macdonald and Rafi Bistritzer for physics; Cindy Sherman in art and Caroline Dean in agriculture.

Previous recipients of the award include Steven Hawking, Marc Chagall and Paul McCartney.

This year's winners will be presented the prizes on June 11 in Jerusalem.

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The Philistines mostly resided in five cities along the southern coast of what is today Israel and the Gaza Strip during the early Iron Age, around 3,000 years ago. In the Bible, David fought the Philistine giant Goliath in a duel, and Samson slew a thousand of their warriors with the jawbone of an ass.

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Many archaeologists have proposed they migrated to the coast of the ancient Near East during a period of upheaval at the end of the Late Bronze Age, around 1,200 BCE.

The Philistines emerged as other societies around the Eastern Mediterranean collapsed, possibly because of a cataclysmic intersection of climate change and man-made disasters. Philistine ceramics bear similarities to styles found in the Aegean, but concrete evidence of their geographic origins has remained elusive.

Now, a study of genetic material extracted from skeletons unearthed in the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon in 2013 has found a DNA link. It connects the Philistines to populations in southern Europe during the Bronze Age.

The study, spearheaded by researchers from Germany's Max Planck Institute and Wheaton College in Illinois, was published Wednesday in the research journal Science Advances.

The biblical account relates that the Philistines originally hailed from a distant isle. An Egyptian temple built by Rameses III bears reliefs of battles with "Sea Peoples" who appeared on the shores of the Eastern Mediterranean. One group listed in the Egyptian text is strikingly similar to the Hebrew name for Philistines. Excavations of Philistine sites have found ceramics and architecture that differed from those of their neighbors in ancient Canaan.

But archaeologists can't be absolutely certain that different pots mean different people.

Eric Cline, an archaeologist from George Washington University specializing in the Late Bronze Age in the Near East, said conclusive evidence has eluded scientists until now – even if the material remains have indicated that the Philistines migrated to the Levant from the Aegean around 1,200 BCE.

Cline, who was not involved in the study, is the author of "1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed," which examines the period when the Philistines arrived. He called the paper's findings "extremely exciting and very important" by helping resolve the long-standing mystery about their origins.

"We were all hoping that it might be possible to get genetic information like this," he said. "Now we have scientific confirmation from DNA that the Philistines do indeed most likely come from that region."

The researchers looked at DNA from 10 skeletons excavated from the ancient cemetery in Ashkelon, one of the Philistine seaports.

Using carbon-14 dating technology, three were determined to be from the centuries before the Philistines' presumed arrival around 1,200 BCE, four were from the period immediately afterward, and three dated to centuries further on, the late Iron Age.

The study found that the remains dating to the early Iron Age – the period associated with many of the stories involving Philistines in the Bible – were genetically distinct from their Levantine neighbors, and had close similarities with populations in southern Europe.

"We see in their DNA a European component from the West that appears in a substantial enough way that we can demonstrate it statistically, we can show that it's different," said Daniel Master, an archaeologist with Wheaton College who headed the expedition in Ashkelon. "It basically says the people came from outside, not just the style of pottery."

He said the findings were "direct evidence" that the cultural change found in Philistine cities "reflected the migration of a group of people."

The DNA from the later individuals found they had some southern European genes, but appeared much closer to the surrounding Canaanite population.

"There was this pulse of people coming in, and then they kind of mixed into the local population, so a few hundred years later they are almost indistinguishable" from the surrounding Levantine gene pool, said Michal Feldman, an archaeogeneticist at the Planck Institute and one of the paper's leading authors.

The results point to a possible southern European origin for the Philistines – anywhere from Cyprus to Sardinia – but further study of ancient remains is needed to narrow down the search.

"Until we have more samples from the neighboring regions," and from the Philistines themselves, said Feldman, "I don't think we can pinpoint better their homeland or homelands."

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