A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Double rows of eyelashes are usually the result of a mutation at FOXC2, a gene that influences all kinds of tissue development in embryos. An article in Slate's Brow Beat blog ponders the possible genetics behind the late Elizabeth Taylor's eyelashes
Good news for tigers in India
A tiger census in India brings good news for the large cats.
The 2010 National Tiger Assessment, details of which were published in a report this week by the government of India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests, used data from field patrols, satellites and camera images to estimate tiger populations.
In 2006 the estimate was 1,411, while the 2010 tally was 1,706. “Most tiger source sites continue to maintain viable tiger populations,” states the report, which adds that there is evidence of new areas being populated by tigers too.
Claire O’Connell
Testing for organ rejection
Could a non-invasive DNA test signal whether a person is rejecting a transplanted organ? Scientists at Stanford University analysed the blood of patients following heart transplants, measuring levels of genetic material coming from the transplanted organ itself.
They found increased levels of DNA from the donor genome in the recipient’s blood at times when a biopsy confirmed acute cellular rejection of the organ.
“This non-invasive test holds promise for replacing the endomyocardial biopsy in heart transplant recipients and may be applicable to other solid organ transplants,” write the authors in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.