The bizarre genome of the world’s most mysterious flowering plants shows how far parasites will go in stealing, deleting and duplicating DNA.
British prime minister Boris Johnson has cancelled his trip to India, with the country being added to the UK’s “red list” of restricted destinations. COVID-19 cases in India are rising sharply and a specific variant of the virus – B1617 – is becoming increasingly common there.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
A company recently developed a novel system capable of printing biological tissue in a blindingly fast 30 seconds — creating a possible means of bringing an end to diabetes, according to a blog post shared on the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne’s (EPFL’s) official website.
A bioprinted pancreas might remove the need for animal testing! Check out how diabetes might end.
No fossils necessary.
Scientists have achieved a breakthrough they’re comparing to the moon landing: sequencing a full ancient genome from soil samples.
How’s that on par with humans touching down on the lunar surface? Well, the research team from the University of Copenhagen found the entire genetic code of an ancient bear species without obtaining it from fossils, marking the very first time scientists have found genes outside the fossil record. And by gathering the DNA from the soil, these researchers gathered a bunch of examples, rather than just one single specimen’s genome.
Continue reading “In ‘Moon Landing of Genomics,’ Scientists Sequence Ancient DNA From Dirt” »
A CRISPR-based treatment to stop the replication of both the flu virus and the virus that causes COVID-19 in mice. Moreover, the new treatment is delivered to the lungs via a nebulizer, which could make it simple for patients to administer themselves at home.
The treatment uses a type of CRISPR to target viral RNA and appears to stop replication of both viruses in the lungs.
One in 17 people will suffer from a rare disease at some time in their lives. Most of these rare diseases have a genetic cause and often affect children, but proving which gene change causes a disease is a huge challenge.
Scientists have discovered a new genetic disease, which causes some children’s brains to develop abnormally, resulting in delayed intellectual development and often early onset cataracts.
The majority of patients with the condition, which is so new it doesn’t have a name yet, were also microcephalic, a birth defect where a baby’s head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age.
Any discussion of rejuvenation biotechnology almost certainly includes the subject of and the objection that medical advances that directly address the various processes of aging will lead to an overpopulated world. Such dire predictions are a common theme in many discussions involving advances in medicine that could increase human lifespans.
Overpopulation is a word that gives the simple fact of population growth a negative connotation. It implies that an increase in the number of people will harm our lives in different ways, such as famine, scarcity of resources, excessive population density, increased risks of infectious diseases, and harm to the environment.
Oral treatment with a bacterial protein known as colonization factor antigen I (CFA/I) fimbriae, from Escherichia coli bacteria, has been shown to protect against several autoimmune diseases, including arthritis and type 1 diabetes. Another bacteria, called Lactococcus lactis, was recently adapted to express CFA/I fimbriae. These bacteria were shown to effectively suppress inflammation by the induction of regulatory T-cells (Tregs) — which are negative regulators of the immune system, meaning they work to shut down excessive inflammatory responses.
Oral treatment with a molecule produced by bacteria, called colonization factor antigen I, can reduce or halt the progression of Sjögren’s syndrome, a mouse study suggests.
Researchers believe these findings provide the basis for future testing in patients with Sjögren’s.
Continue reading “Bacterial Molecule Can Slow Sjögren’s Progression, Preclinical Study Suggests” »
New research shows that members of a bee colony all have the same gut microbiome, which controls their smell—and thus their ability to separate family from foe.
This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Shahla Farzan.
