Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 26, 2026
09:02
A Method to Test the Efficacy of Handwashing for the Removal of Emerging Infectious Pathogens
Published on: June 7, 2017
19.7K
Ancient pathogen genomics as an emerging tool for infectious disease research
Maria A Spyrou1, Kirsten I Bos2, Alexander Herbig2
1Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany. spyrou@shh.mpg.de.
Nature Reviews. Genetics
|April 7, 2019
Summary
Ancient pathogen genomics uses high-throughput sequencing to reconstruct past microbial evolution. This field reveals extinct lineages, pandemic origins, and long-term pathogen history for public health insights.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Microbial Evolution
- Paleogenomics
Background:
- The genomics revolution, driven by high-throughput sequencing, has advanced ancient DNA studies.
- Ancient pathogen genomics offers molecular insights into microbial evolution and history.
Observation:
- High-throughput sequencing enables reconstruction of complete ancient genomes.
- Ancient pathogen genomes provide a molecular fossil record of human-associated pathogens.
Findings:
- Identification of causative agents of past pandemics.
- Discovery of extinct microbial lineages.
- Extrapolation of past pathogen emergence events and long-term evolutionary history.
Implications:
- Understanding the evolution of pathogens relevant to current public health.
- Providing a chronological framework for microbial emergence.
- Revealing novel insights into microbial evolutionary history.
Related Concept Videos
02:02Genomics
39.9K
Genomics is the science of genomes: it is the study of all the genetic material of an organism. In humans, the genome consists of information carried in 23 pairs of chromosomes in the nucleus, as well as mitochondrial DNA. In genomics, both coding and non-coding DNA is sequenced and analyzed. Genomics allows a better understanding of all living things, their evolution, and their diversity. It has a myriad of uses: for example, to build phylogenetic trees, to improve productivity and...
39.9K
01:27Emerging Adulthood
656
Jeffrey Arnett's concept of emerging adulthood offers a framework to understand the unique developmental stage between adolescence and full-fledged adulthood, generally from ages 18 to 25. This period is marked by extensive exploration and shifts in identity, relationships, and career choices, a process known in psychology as role experimentation. Emerging adulthood reflects the evolving cultural expectations surrounding adulthood and the dynamic process of personal transformation during...
656
02:30Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
36.9K
Diploid organisms inherit genetic material through chromosomes from both parents. Copies of the same gene are known as alleles. In most cases, both alleles are simultaneously expressed and allow various cellular processes to function optimally. If one of the alleles is missing or mutated, the expression of the other allele can compensate; however, this is not true for all genes.
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
36.9K
01:30Introduction Cardiac Emergencies
325
Cardiac emergencies are critical situations involving the heart that require immediate medical intervention to prevent severe complications or death. These emergencies often arise from underlying heart conditions that impair the heart's ability to function correctly.Types of Cardiac EmergenciesThe most common types of cardiac emergencies include Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS), myocardial infarction (MI), cardiac arrest, and heart failure.Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS)Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS)...
325
03:21Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes
9.1K
While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.
9.1K
02:16Comparing Mitochondrial, Chloroplast, and Prokaryotic Genomes
15.7K
The present-day mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes have retained some of the characteristics of their ancestral prokaryotes and also have acquired new attributes during their evolution within eukaryotic cells. Like prokaryotic genomes, mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes neither bind with histone-like proteins nor show complex packaging into chromosome-like structures, as observed in eukaryotes. Unlike mitotic cell divisions observed in eukaryotic cells, mitochondria and chloroplasts...
15.7K