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Where is Lehi's DNA?

Deseret News - It is possible that the Book of Mormon prophet Lehi came to the Americas and left many descendants -- but no traceable DNA. To understand what may have happened to Lehi's DNA, it is necessary to understand how population geneticists track populations. According to Ugo Perego, senior researcher at Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, the nucleus of the human cell contains about 3.2 billion pieces of genetic information. This "nuclear DNA" is harder to use for population studies because it changes too quickly from generation to generation -- almost like shuffling a huge stack of cards. Outside of the nucleus, but still...

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FHE: Revelation

Shauna Gibby - Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Finding Strength in Challenging Times!," by Allan F. Packer, Ensign, May 2009, 17-19 Thought: These are the days when prophecies are being fulfilled. We live in the dispensation of the fulness of times. . . . We need to be acquainted with the promptings of the Holy Ghost. . . . These promptings become the foundation of our testimonies. (Allan F. Packer, "Finding Strength in Challenging Times!," Ensign , May 2009, 17-19.) Song: "The Ninth Article of Faith," Children's Songbook, p. 128. Scripture: God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy...

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College can be time to lose -- or find -- faith

Salt Lake Tribune - The four University of Utah students were sharing one of those sublime moments. Piled in the back of Alec Gehrke's Malibu -- a refurbished car bought from the LDS Church -- they were parked above the Salt Lake City Cemetery in the Avenues late on a warm Saturday night. Stars lit the sky and the city lights twinkled from the valley floor below. Even their breathing seemed connected, as if they were links on the same chain. "It was existential," Gehrke says. "It was so gorgeous," Hannah Munn recalls. "I thought: This is it. This is a defining moment, just being...

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Prayer leads to stolen car's recovery

Deseret News - On the night of Jan. 3 this year, my son-in-law, Erik, went to the grocery store in Monterrey, Mexico. His children, Adriana, 5 and Leonardo, 3, decided to stay at home with their mother, Nancy. After Erik purchased the groceries and walked out of the store, he realized his car had been stolen. Fearing the news would frighten Nancy, who was 14 weeks pregnant, he called the police first, and he was asked to go to the police department to issue an official report. Noticing Erik was late, Nancy called him, and he told her about the car. It was 9...

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Early revelations provide a glimpse into the past

Deseret News - The aim of Joseph Smith Papers editors for the first volume of the Revelations and Translations series is really no different than that of the Prophet, who anticipated the need for the Saints to have recorded versions of the revelations he received. "Having copies of the revelations given to Joseph are so important to us (as Latter-day Saints) because they are representative of our belief in modern-day revelation," said Robin S. Jensen, a volume co-editor for the Joseph Smith Papers. "Just as they were important to the Saints in the early days of the church." The Revelations and Translations "facsimile edition,"...

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BYU professor finds meaning in sacred architecture

Deseret News - A desire to gain a richer experience in attending a Mormon temple led Val. W. Brinkerhoff to begin researching the symbols in temple architecture and their meaning. The church doesn't dictate or speak much about the meaning of architectural symbols, which must instead come from the scriptures, words of the prophets and personal revelation, Brinkerhoff said during his address at Brigham Young University on Wednesday. The address, "Finding Meaning in Sacred Architecture," was part of the David M. Kennedy Center lecture series. Church members don't have a book to explain the symbols to them, but temple architects do, he said. An...

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LDS Musician Paul Cardall recovery a 'miracle'

Deseret News - As pink and red heart-shaped balloons bob in the breeze outside their home, Paul and Lynnette Cardall are examining prescription bottles inside. There's a new heart beating in Paul's chest. Lynnette's heart, for the first time in more than a year, is finally beginning to rest easy. The LDS musician and his wife came home from the hospital on Wednesday, weeks before anyone had believed would be possible after Paul's heart transplant two weeks ago at Primary Children's Medical Center. Doctors had told them it would be five to six weeks before he would be strong enough to unplug all the...

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Fat Girl

Segullah - If you want to see me come undone, just make fun of the chubby kid. BYU. 1989. Religion 324: Doctrine & Covenants Manual pg. 382. My aged instructor read Question A out loud: “Why did God give me a body that is fat and ugly? I’ll never get a date because I’m too homely.” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, but the pretty brunette across the aisle shot her hand into the air, “That’s ridiculous! God didn’t make her fat—she did it to herself. The spiritual solution here is to stop feeding her face.” Laughter rippled across the classroom, but my...

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Prepared for disaster

LDS Church News - When my 8-year-old opened the emergency backpack I'd put together for him, he exploded with joy. "This is awesome!" he said as he pulled out the flashlight, rain poncho, cans of soup, granola bars and mini first aid kit. He then carefully looked over the notebook, crayons and stickers and exclaimed that he couldn't wait for a disaster. My 10-year-old, on the other hand, glumly glanced at the backpack I'd given him and set it aside. "Ben, don't you want to see what's in it?" I asked him. He looked at me blankly then dutifully unzipped it, eyed the contents and...

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Why do Utahns report being both the happiest and most depressed?

Deseret News - Researchers at Utah Valley University are trying to determine why Utahns report being both the happiest and most depressed people in America. Jack Jensen, director of mental-health services at UVU, and Cameron John, associate professor of psychology, said they've received a government grant to study what unique factors are at play in the Beehive State, as Utah has recently ranked at the top of the scale nationally on rates of both personal well-being and depression. "How can they both be true?" Jensen asked dozens of students Wednesday, during an Ethics Awareness Week presentation on campus. He said the school experienced a...