Human Spotlight
Video: CRISPR can do much more than gene editing
Using the CRISPR–Cas9 system, scientists can do much more than gene editing—they can boost gene transcription or use fluorescent proteins ...
Should we ‘genetically modify’ humans to fit the demands of space travel?
It takes something special to be an astronaut – an extraordinary combination of bravery, fitness, intelligence, lightning-fast decision-making and calmness ...
Bacterial DNA used in innovative Hepatitis B vaccines
Two hepatitis B virus vaccines are currently on the market. Earlier this month, however, the Food and Drug Administration licensed ...
Why life-saving gene therapy isn’t available yet to children who need it most
[The first patient to permanently edit his DNA,] Brian Madeux, 44, of Arizona, is part of a clinical trial testing ...
Synaesthesia: For those who lose their sight, colors can have sound
Vanessa Potter lost her sight. As she recovered, her senses mingled – hearing and touch changed the way she saw ...
Challenging Mendel: Does the female egg woo sperm with specific genes?
[Researcher Jon Nadeau’s] hypothesis—that the egg could woo sperm with specific genes and vice versa—is part of a growing realization ...
Non-antibiotic sepsis-fighting drug could save millions of lives
The state of Odisha (formerly Orissa) in southeast India is perhaps not the first place you’d expect to find a ...
So much data to store: Can DNA solve our problem?
Many pundits predict it’s just a matter of time till DNA pips magnetic tape as the ultimate way to store ...
Key to understanding Down syndrome may rest in chromosomes
Some scientists call it the "final frontier" of our DNA—even though it lies at the center of every X-shaped chromosome ...
How evolution contributed to the demise of the passenger pigeon
Passenger pigeons were once the most abundant bird in North America, and quite possibly the world. … In a matter ...
Gene therapy challenge: Overcoming shortage of key and expensive viruses
Eager to speed development of revolutionary treatments, the Food and Drug Administration recently announced that it would expedite approval of ...
Does air pollution reach the womb, eventually leading to heart disease and shorter lives?
New research gives expectant mothers reason to be more cautious with air pollution, which can cause damage to the critical ...
The leaves on the tree of life are almost all microbes
Planet of the insects? Heck no. Planet of the microbes. Science has long struggled with estimating how many species of ...
Stressed out? It could alter your sperm
Sperm from stressed-out dads can carry that stress from one generation to another. “But one question that really hasn’t been ...
How choosing genetically similar partners shapes our genomes
Chances are, you’re going to marry someone a lot like you. Similar intelligence, similar height, similar body weight. A new ...
Exploring national security risks related to gene editing
Technology is advancing exponentially and the exciting field of genome editing is no exception. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison ...
Nano-mapping DNA mutations with CRISPR could transform disease treatment
A team of scientists led by Virginia Commonwealth University physicist Jason Reed, Ph.D., have developed new nanomapping technology that could ...
How gene therapy could help fight methamphetamine addiction
Gene therapy, which modifies a person’s DNA, has long been thought of as a way to treat genetic diseases—and, more recently, ...
Women may have something to gain from male infertility
The plot of P.D.James’s dystopian novel The Children Of Men revolves around a provocative thought experiment: what would happen if ...
Video: Here’s how CRISPR gene editing works
Gene editing is in the news a lot these days, but what is it exactly? Gene editing is the process ...
Viewpoint: Cost of gene therapy could put experimental treatments out of reach for most
Drugs that modify human genes have the potential to cure intractable diseases with just one treatment. Few could disagree that's ...
Canadian researchers can’t use CRISPR in human embryo research
In the United States, using genetic engineering techniques such as CRISPR to make genetic alterations that can be passed on ...
FDA details risk-based cellular therapy and regenerative medicine guidelines
The FDA has issued two final guidances and two draft guidances, all designed to articulate the agency’s approach to developing ...
Evidence ancient humans not ‘violent apes’ but distinctly compassionate
[Editor's note: Penny Spikins is an archaeologist who specializes in early prehistory and human origins.] Yes, there is evidence of interpersonal violence ...
Has the mystery of who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls been solved?
Dozens of skeletons discovered in the Judean Desert may finally reveal who wrote the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, a mystery that ...
Despite the hype, there was no ‘successful’ human head transplant
In February 2015, Sergio Canavero appeared in this very publication claiming a live human head will be successfully transplanted onto ...
New T-cell treatment shows promise for treating leukemia
A new way of genetically altering a patient’s cells to fight cancer has helped desperately ill people with leukemia when ...
