genetic engineering
-
Sweet-Smelling Locust Pheromone Could Be Key to Stopping Their Swarms
Scientists have identified the pheromone responsible for turning individual locusts into the swarming variety. They also found a way to “turn off” locusts’ ability to respond to this pheromone, in a breakthrough that could lead to new control strategies for preventing the spread of these voracious and extremely destructive insects.
-
A Genetically Engineered ‘Happy Plant’ Turns On Its Maker In The Eerie Trailer For Little Joe
A corporate plant breeder (Emily Beecham) believes she’s created a flower that looks beautiful, smells divine, and has actual mood-enhancing powers. But as it turns out, nature may still be in control with far less benevolent intentions—as this new trailer for Little Joe reveals.
-
Gene-Editing Record Smashed With Over 13,000 Changes Made To A Single Human Cell
Using a modified version of CRISPR, a team of geneticists has successfully triggered 13,200 genetic changes to a single human cell. That’s a new record, by a long shot. This sweeping new editing process could eventually be used to strip DNA of useless or dangerous genetic information — or create entirely new kinds of life.
-
Appeals Court Upholds CRISPR Patent, Potentially Ending Bitter Dispute
An appeals court has upheld a 2017 decision recognising scientists from the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT as the true inventors of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system. The decision likely signifies the end of a bitter legal dispute that began four years ago.