Can we send a message to the future with DNA?

Ever wonder how we can relay messages to future populations? So do scientists. Recent news suggests DNA embedded in glass might be the answer to efficiently storing information for millions of years! Yet, storing large amounts of information is still limited by the price of DNA synthesis. And who knows what infrastructure we’ll have to read DNA millions of years from now? DNA is currently … Continue reading Can we send a message to the future with DNA?

An Alternative to Antibiotics?

Scientists offer an alternative method to fight bacteria in an effort to combat antibiotic resistance. They generated liposomes, or very small particles that look much like cell membranes. Because of this similarity, liposomes, instead of the host cells, can draw in bacterial toxins and allow the resulting non-toxic bacteria to be defeated by the body’s natural immune defense. However, this is just the beginning- for … Continue reading An Alternative to Antibiotics?

CRISPR: A game-changing genetic engineering technique

Have you heard? A revolution has seized the scientific community. Within only a few years, research labs worldwide have adopted a new technology that facilitates making specific changes in the DNA of humans, other animals, and plants. Compared to previous techniques for modifying DNA, this new approach is much faster and easier. This technology is referred to as “CRISPR,” and it has changed not only … Continue reading CRISPR: A game-changing genetic engineering technique

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

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

Photosynthesizing the Netherlands

This artistic representation of the artist’s love for his home country was made by spreading a single-celled photosynthetic bacterium called Synechococcus elongatus on a plate containing just water and some salt. These bacteria, belonging to a larger phylum of bacteria called cyanobacteria, grow by photosynthesis using little more than sunlight and CO2 and some researchers hope they can be used to produce biofuels and other … Continue reading Photosynthesizing the Netherlands

Engineering a minimal yeast chromosome: a small, but significant step forward

How can we create a fully synthetic organism? One promising way to begin would be to take an existing organism and engineer a new set of chromosomes from that organism’s genome. Scientists at NYU have created a fully synthetic chromosome for Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, the yeast that’s used in bread and beer. By stripping out ‘junk DNA’ and adding in new genes that make future genome … Continue reading Engineering a minimal yeast chromosome: a small, but significant step forward