FOR ALL THE furious hype around the gene-editing tool Crispr/Cas9, no one has ever really seen it in action. Like really seen it. How the protein Cas9 unzips a strand of DNA, how it slips in the molecule that guides it to a target—and finally, how it goes snip snip on the DNA.
Overlooked brain area has a 'motherlode' of autism genes. These genes are mutated Rbfox1 - which regulates cell proteins. When Rbfox1 genes 'go awry', it can increase the risk of autism. Scientists discovered a region of cells full packed with Rbfox1 genes. This finding provides fresh drug targets for new therapies.
At the 2016 CES, IBM Watson and Pathway Genomics unveiled a new health app that takes the user's genes into account.
Gene editing has come further than ever before. That means we need to start thinking further ahead than ever before.
For the first time ever, scientists have identified clusters of genes in the brain that are believed to be linked to human intelligence.
We are experiencing a new wave of innovation in health care - one that promises to create the smartest, most connected, and most efficient health systems the world has ever seen.
Our brains are arguably one of evolution's greatest achievements, composed of many regions that each have unique configurations of cells and patterns of connectivity that together bestow us our mental prowess. But what is it about our genes that makes this organ so distinct from those of others?
Using genetic modification, nanotechnology, bionics, reconstructive surgery, hormones, drugs or any combination of these approaches, real-life human enhancement is looking ever more achievable.
With this leukemia reversal, gene editing has now demonstrated remarkable promise and fueled optimism about future uses. But experts urge caution.
A hidden, never-before-recognized layer of information in the genetic code has been uncovered by a team of scientists at the University of California, San
(PhysOrg.com) -- Oxford University spinoff company, Oxford Nonopore has announced at this year’s Advances in Genome Biology and Technology conference in Florida, two new machines for sequencing genes. Of particular note is the MinION, a machine small enough to fit in the hand which can be plugged into a laptop’s USB port. The other, the GridION, is a larger version that can be stacked to increase processing power. Both rely on a technology known as strand sequencing whereby a nanopore (engineered protein) is used to pull strands of DNA through a hole where a microchip measures minute changes in the electrical current in the membrane around it as individual bases, or pairs are pulled through. Because of the way it is done, much longer sections of DNA can be examined at once, doing away with the need to examine small sections independently and then knitting the results together with a computer afterwards.
A new supercomputer having Northern Europe
(PhysOrg.com) -- "Human beings are more or less like a computer," Jian-Jun Shu tells PhysOrg.com. "We do computing work, and our DNA can be used in computing operations." Shu is a professor at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Nanyang Technical University in Singapore. "For some problems, DNA-based computing could replace silicon-based computing, offering many advantages."
Since the days of Darwin, the
An ambitious hunt by Johns Hopkins scientists for actively "jumping genes" in humans has yielded compelling new evidence that the genome, anything but static, contains numerous pesky mobile elements that may help to explain why people have such a variety of physical traits and disease risks.
