Press monitoring
Drought-resistant plant genes could accelerate evolution of water-use efficient crops
4.12.2017 | Press monitoring
Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have identified a common set of genes that enable different drought-resistant plants to survive in semi-arid conditions, which could play a significant role in bioengineering and creating energy crops that are tolerant to water deficits. Plants thrive in drylands by keeping...
Bio-computer powered by jellyfish DNA plays Tetris and other retro videogames
1.12.2017 | Press monitoring
An Imperial alumus has developed a bio-pixel display that can play games such as Tetris, Snake or Pong using the protein that makes jellyfish glow. Bixel is a creative, educational tool that helps the public learn about synthetic biology, biotechnology and its applications. It was created by Cell-Free Technology, a start-up co-founded by Dyson...
Are petite poplars the future of biofuels? Studies say yes
29.11.2017 | Press monitoring
In the quest to produce affordable biofuels, poplar trees are one of the Pacific Northwest's best bets - the trees are abundant, fast-growing, adaptable to many terrains and their wood can be transformed into substances used in biofuel and high-value chemicals that we rely on in our daily lives. But even as researchers test poplars' potential...
Bacterial viruses found to interact with human cells, study finds
27.11.2017 | Press monitoring
International research co-authored by a Monash biologist has shown for the first time that bacterial viruses (bacteriophages) directly interact with the cells of the human body. The findings published in the journal mBio show that human cells transport bacteriophages into and throughout our body. Bacteriophage (or phage for short) are the most...
Microbiome transplants provide disease resistance in critically-endangered Hawaiian plant
24.11.2017 | Press monitoring
Transplanting wild microbes from healthy related plants can make a native Hawaiian plant healthier and likelier to survive in wild according to new research from The Amend Laboratory in the University of Hawai'i at M?noa (UHM) Botany Department and the O'ahu Army Natural Resources Program (OANRP). Professor Anthony Amend and postdoctoral...
Scientists discover method to convert food waste into biofuels
22.11.2017 | Press monitoring
Scientists from Skoltech and the Russian Academy of Sciences Joint Institute for High Temperatures have proposed converting food waste into biofuel via hydrothermal liquefaction – a thermal depolymerization process used to turn wet biomass into oil. Recent studies conducted by the United Nations have revealed that about one-third of all food...
Invasive clams tracked by their DNA
20.11.2017 | Press monitoring
The sooner that you know an invasive species is present in your local environment, the better the chances that you can control it before it becomes unmanageable. It was with this in mind that researchers from the University of Illinois recently detected the presence of a species of invasive freshwater clam, by looking for its cast-off DNA in lake...
Saving Cavendish: Team grows world-first Panama disease-resistant bananas
17.11.2017 | Press monitoring
QUT researchers have developed and grown modified Cavendish bananas resistant to the devastating soil-borne fungus Fusarium wilt tropical race 4 (TR4), also known as Panama disease. In a world-first GM field trial conducted in heavily TR4-infested soil, one Cavendish line transformed with a gene taken from a wild banana remained completely TR4...
Promising autism drug shows early success in animal tests
15.11.2017 | Press monitoring
There is currently no single drug treatment for autism. Many doctors treat autistic patients with a variety of psychotropic drugs geared at managing their perceived antisocial symptoms, but this is reasonably controversial, especially in children. A new drug targeted at restoring an electrical signaling imbalance in the brain is showing exciting...
Boy with a genetic disease has had almost all his skin replaced
13.11.2017 | Press monitoring
A boy’s life has been saved by a gene therapy. The treatment replaced most of the 9-year-old’s skin, correcting a mutation that causes a severe skin-blistering condition. Epidermolysis bullosa is a rare disease in which the slightest touch – even dressing, for instance – can cause blisters and ulcers. Those with severe forms of the condition live...
