Super nanners! Engineering bananas to save vision, life in East Africa
A new banana, genetically engineered to produce ample amount of provitamin A, has hit the news. They’re heading for human trials in the US and to the fields of Uganda by 2020, if all goes well for the Australian and Ugandan scientists developing them. Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness among children. 250,000 to 500,000 children are blinded by vitamin A deficiency each year. In East Africa, vitamin A deficiency is common and bananas are a staple crop. If these orange hued bananas make it to market, farmers maybe able to lift quality of life simply by swapping yellow fruit for orange. Continue reading Super nanners! Engineering bananas to save vision, life in East Africa
Small Brains, Big Ideas: The value of model organisms to science
Presented by Yuly Fuentes-Medel Model organism systems amenable to genetic manipulation have made seminal contributions to many aspects of modern science. These organisms with small brains have inspired the discoveries of big ideas in such complex problems as cell death, ion channel function, and pattern formation during development. In this lecture you will learn what a model organism is and see some examples, with a … Continue reading Small Brains, Big Ideas: The value of model organisms to science
Genetically modified yeast and Science Fiction
About two months ago we published a short report on a new study that pioneered creating an entire chromosome of yeast; an organism with similar cellular organization as humans. Just a week ago, a discussion flared up on Reddit about the consequences for everything from creating human brain-less organ farms to custom babies. The study will really only benefit basic sciences and advanced biotechnology, where people use … Continue reading Genetically modified yeast and Science Fiction
Gene Editing Technique Allows for HIV Resistance?
While previous gene therapies often made unpredictable changes in the cell’s genetic structure, these researchers showed an efficient method of disrupting a specific gene without making any other changes in DNA, removing unacceptable side-effects. Continue reading Gene Editing Technique Allows for HIV Resistance?
Pearls from Swine? Growing human stem cells in pigs
Unfortunately, this concept isn’t new – several other groups have generated similar pigs Continue reading Pearls from Swine? Growing human stem cells in pigs
Investigating Symbiosis in Carnivorous Pitcher Plants
Presented by Leonora Bittleston The idea of a plant eating an animal is very strange. Scientists were ridiculed when they originally suggested plants could be carnivorous. But now we know that carnivory has actually evolved multiple times in plants, in a pattern called convergent evolution. My lecture will discuss how pitcher plants are perfect examples of this, as their particular form has evolved three separate … Continue reading Investigating Symbiosis in Carnivorous Pitcher Plants
3D Printing – Why all the hype?
3D printer making a small building. Image credit: Tiia Monto, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:3D_printer2.jpg In recent years, 3D printing has drawn a lot of attention to itself with breakthroughs in various industrial applications. Given the relatively recent explosion in press, it may surprise you then to learn that the first 3D printer was actually built in 1983 – over 30 years ago – by Charles (Chuck) Hull, a … Continue reading 3D Printing – Why all the hype?
Risks of cannabis use in light of legalization surge
Should cannabis be legalized in the United States, and if so, under what conditions? Current research on medical consequences of cannabis use suggest that heavy use of cannabis can have longlasting effects on lung, cardiovascular and mental health, but casual use seems of little harm compared to cigarettes and alcohol. Brain scans of regular marijuana users suggest that people who are not addicted (yet) already … Continue reading Risks of cannabis use in light of legalization surge
Exploring Planets Near and Far
Presented by Anjali Tripathi How many planets are there? What are they like? In this lecture, we will talk about the variety of planets that are found beyond the Solar System. These so-called exoplanets have been discovered near and far, throughout the Galaxy. We’ll talk about the detection of these planets and their location in space, as well as their location relative to their host … Continue reading Exploring Planets Near and Far
The (Not so) Secret Life of our Inner Neanderthal
We’re still grappling with the astonishing 2010 discovery that Neanderthals had mated with modern humans [1]. Now two new studies published earlier this year [2, 3] have identified the Neanderthal contributions to our present-day genomes, and also provided evidence that our Neanderthal legacy may be a mixed bag of beneficial and deleterious traits. Neanderthal-Homo sapiens Sex: Does it Matter? The sequencing of the complete Neanderthal … Continue reading The (Not so) Secret Life of our Inner Neanderthal