A group of researchers from Shanghai built a customizable circuit that operates entirely with DNA, a groundbreaking step towards general-purpose DNA computing. Continue reading Scientists create a customizable circuit made from DNA
by Sophia Swartzfigures by Jasmin Joseph-Chazan If you put all of the living things on Earth in a box–from humans to anteaters to teeny-tiny tardigrades–and then plucked one of these organisms out at random, it is very, very likely that you just found yourself a microbe. Microbes, although too small to be seen with the naked eye, are some of the most common forms of … Continue reading Mapping Individual Microbes among the Multitudes
Organisms throughout nature have an internal biological clock within them known as the circadian rhythm. It turns out that bacteria have them too. Continue reading Bacteria Have Body Clocks Too
Could our streets be illuminated by the trees themselves someday? With the help of a mushroom, researchers make a breakthrough in engineering glow-in-the-dark plants. So, maybe someday is sooner than we think. Learn more about the science behind bioluminescent botanicals here. Continue reading Living Nightlights: Advances in creating glow-in-the-dark plants.
Central to coral reefs around the world is the deeply interdependent relationship between corals and algae. This interconnection is responsible for algae’s protected habitat, corals’ bright colors, and the mutual exchange of nutrients for photosynthesis. Algae growth is modulated by a process called self-shading, decreasing exposure to light. In an artificial setup, however, this process prevents researchers from growing coral quickly. To prevent this light … Continue reading 3D printed corals grow algae that photosynthesize more efficiently
by Anqi Zhang figures by Yunlong Zhao Cyborgs may sound like science fiction, but the field of brain-machine interfaces has been around for quite some time. If you paid attention to Elon Musk’s brain implant announcement, they are aiming to test the system on a human patient by the end of 2020. In reality, electricity forms the basis of these novel cyborg-like interfaces. Brain cells called … Continue reading Nanowire Army Glances at the Interior of Neurons