Press monitoring
Fern-tastic! Crowdfunded fern genomes published
6.7.2018 | Press monitoring
On July 17, 2014, the world decided it wanted to learn the genomic secrets hidden in the beautiful little, floating water fern, Azolla filiculoides. Not only did they want to know, but they paid for it too – a whopping $22,160 from 123 backers – through a crowdfunding site called Experiment.com. Four years later, they have what they paid for, and...
Bacteria-powered solar cell converts light to energy, even under overcast skies
4.7.2018 | Press monitoring
University of British Columbia researchers have found a cheap, sustainable way to build a solar cell using bacteria that convert light to energy. Their cell generated a current stronger than any previously recorded from such a device, and worked as efficiently in dim light as in bright light. This innovation could be a step toward wider adoption...
New CRISPR-Gold technique reduces behavioral autism symptoms in mice
2.7.2018 | Press monitoring
A remarkable new study has successfully used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique to edit a specific gene in mice engineered to have fragile X syndrome (FXS), a single-gene disorder often related to autism. The single gene edit in the live mice resulted in significant improvements in repetitive and obsessive behaviors, making this the first...
Researchers develop synthetic T cells that mimic form and function of human version
29.6.2018 | Press monitoring
UCLA researchers have developed synthetic T lymphocytes, or T cells, that are near-perfect facsimiles of human T cells. The ability to create the artificial cells could be a key step toward more effective drugs to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases and could lead to a better understanding of human immune cells' behavior. Such cells also could...
Killer immune cells that halt malaria could hold key to new vaccines
27.6.2018 | Press monitoring
Scientists have revealed that immune cells called natural killer (NK) cells may play a key role in ridding the body of malaria-infected blood cells, a study in eLife reports. The discovery adds to knowledge of how natural immunity to malaria develops in people living in areas where the parasite is common, and provides a new mechanism that could...
New DNA synthesis technique promises rapid, high-fidelity DNA printing
25.6.2018 | Press monitoring
Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have invented a new way to synthesize DNA that promises to be easier and faster, does not require the use of toxic chemicals and is potentially more accurate. With greater accuracy, the technique could produce DNA strands 10 times longer than today's...
Chinese scientists test CRISPR on monkeys and find no off-target mutations
22.6.2018 | Press monitoring
With the first UK and US human trials using the potentially revolutionary CRISPR gene editing technique about to commence, several questions still hover over the ultimate safety of this system. A team of Chinese scientists has now conducted the first full assessment of the effects of CRISPR-Cas9 on non-human primates to ascertain whether it...
Investigators say DNA database can be goldmine for old cases
20.6.2018 | Press monitoring
A microscopic thread of DNA evidence in a public genealogy database led California authorities to declare this spring they had caught the Golden State Killer, the rapist and murderer who had eluded authorities for decades. Emboldened by that breakthrough, a number of private investigators are spearheading a call for amateur genealogists to help...
Promising gene therapy repairs spinal cord injury in rats
18.6.2018 | Press monitoring
An international team of researchers has successfully regenerated spinal tissue in rat models using a new gene therapy designed to break down scar tissue and allow new nerve cells to grow. The therapy, which used a common antibiotic as the on/off switch to activate the treatment for two months, resulted in rats with spinal injuries relearning...
First vision of bacteria harpooning DNA to accelerate evolution
15.6.2018 | Press monitoring
Bacteria evolve fast – and that could be bad news for those of us who don't want to see easily-treatable diseases make a roaring comeback. Resistance to antibiotics is a growing concern, but if scientists can see how the microbes evolve, they might be able to intervene. Now researchers at Indiana University have peeked into that tiny world,...
