Daily briefing: How DNA testing can tell identical twins apart

"Standard methods analyse short sequences in regions of the genome where there is a lot of variation - except in identical siblings. More sophisticated techniques such as whole-genome sequencing, or looking for epigenetic changes that can be caused by behaviour or environment, can be used to tell twins apart, but require relatively large amounts of DNA that aren't usually left at crime scenes."

"This is the first very accurate characterization of this elusive material. The results come hot on the heels of a separate 2025 paper that also reports lab-synthesized hexagonal diamond."

"The consistency of effect across multiple substances, which have different mechanisms of action, was quite a revelation. GLP-1 users with n"

Forensic science advances enable differentiation between identical twins in criminal cases through sophisticated methods like whole-genome sequencing and epigenetic analysis, though these require larger DNA samples than typically available at crime scenes. Researchers in China have successfully synthesized hexagonal diamond, an unusually hard mineral variant sought for decades, with previous claims often questioned but this work providing accurate characterization. Analysis of health records from over 600,000 US military veterans demonstrates that GLP-1 drugs, including Ozempic and Wegovy, can help reduce addiction across multiple substances through mechanisms not yet fully understood, representing a significant finding given these drugs' different pharmacological targets.

Read at Nature