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Cold cases heat up through new approach to identifying remains

In an effort to identify the thousands of John/Jane Doe cold cases in the United States, scientists have found a multidisciplinary approach to identifying the remains of missing persons. Using “bomb pulse” radiocarbon analysis, combined with recently developed anthropological analysis and forensic DNA techniques, the researchers were able to identify the remains of a missing child 41 years after the discovery of the body.

Biochemists solve a birth-defect mystery

The cellular cause of birth defects like cleft palates, missing teeth and problems with fingers and toes has been a tricky puzzle for scientists. Now biochemists studied an ion channel that regulates the electrical charge of a cell and found that blocking this channel disrupts the work of a protein that is supposed to carry marching orders to the nucleus. This newly discovered mechanism may be what some birth defect disorders have in common, opening the door for the pursuit of a preventative treatment.