New Atlas
How well does genetic screening for talents and traits work? Beethoven’s DNA suggests he was unlikely to be musical
Analysis of Beethoven’s DNA has revealed that he had a low genetic predisposition for beat synchronization, an ability related to ...
Personalized precision medicine revolution is proceeding more slowly than hoped. Here’s why
The term 'personalized medicine' has gained traction, but what is it, does it help and are there concerns that need ...
‘Half-land, half-tree lifestyle’: This 3D computer model of Lucy the Australopithecus afarensis reveals a powerful body
We may only ever have 47 of the 207 bones that made up the skeleton of this 3.18-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis specimen known ...
Microplastics are widespread across our food supply. Are they a health hazard?
A new study by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is one of the first to analyze the available academic literature ...
Next generation biofuel: Genetically-modified duckweed can grow in wastewater, and it yields seven times more oil than soybeans
While plants such as corn and soybeans are major sources of biofuel, they're grown on land that could otherwise be ...
Bacon-flavored algae and spirulina salmon? Here’s how aquaculture might provide enough protein to satisfy humanity’s growing appetite
A new paper published in the journal Oceanography speculates future global food production problems could be solved by growing protein-dense microalgae in ...
Strange symptoms: Hair and libido loss linked to long COVID
A huge new study has offered the most robust investigation to date into the symptoms and prevalence of long COVID ...
Why apathy is often the first symptom of Alzheimer’s
Compelling new research from the Indiana University School of Medicine has homed in on a degenerative mechanism that could explain ...
Do artificial sweeteners fuel cancer? New data reignite the debate
A new study has reawakened a decades-old debate over the safety of artificial sweeteners, suggesting a small association can be ...
Can ‘remarkable’ mRNA technology used to develop Moderna and Pfizer COVID vaccines combat other diseases?
Harry Al-Wassiti, a bioengineer from Monash University, has been working with mRNA technology for several years, and he describes the ...
New evidence of e-cigarette dangers: Vapor liquid linked to chronic gut inflammation
It is still early days for research into the long-term effects of e-cigarette use. Cursory studies are discovering e-cigarettes can potentially cause some ...
Directed evolution tool could force viruses to churn out new drugs ‘in a matter of days’
Evolution is one of nature's most impressive forces, allowing organisms to adapt to changing environments to survive. By harnessing and ...
Video: Robot dinosaurs show us how flight evolved
Modern birds are believed to have evolved from certain types of dinosaurs, and the transitional species Archaeopteryx sits neatly in ...
Peering back in time: Engineered synthetic organisms could help answer key evolutionary questions
Evolution is the accepted explanation for life's diversity today, but there are still some holes in the process that we ...
Why does CRISPR randomly fail 15% of the time?
The CRISPR gene editing process is known to fail about 15 percent of the time. These random failures have until ...
Natural insecticide from tobacco plants could fend off crop pests without killing them
Although it's associated with nasty cigarettes, the tobacco plant is also a potential source of vaccines, biofuel and antibiotics. Now, a chemical from the ...
Unable to gain weight: Mice kept thin by blocking fat-storing enzyme
A compelling study from a team of researchers at the University of Copenhagen has demonstrated a way to completely stop ...
Implanted artificial mole could be early warning system for prostate, lung, colon, breast cancer
[R]esearchers at ETH Zurich have developed a novel early warning system for four common types of cancer. An implant keeps ...
CRISPR-edited mosquitoes could dramatically reduce more than 200 million annual cases of malaria
Swatting at mosquitoes is a great start, but if we really want to cut down on the hundreds of millions ...
‘Supercharged’ T-cells show promise against Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Cancer has been winning the arms race against the immune system for too long, but scientists are developing plenty of ...
‘Living tattoo’ made with 3D-printed bacteria responds to stimuli
A team at MIT has genetically modified bacteria cells and developed a new 3D printing technique to create a "living ...
FDA likely to approve hereditary blindness gene therapy
[A]nother gene therapy is on the cusp of approval, this time to treat a form of hereditary blindness. If given ...
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity may actually be caused by fructan
Although only one percent of the population are affected by celiac disease, gluten-free diets have become a major food trend ...
Muscular dystrophy in dogs reversed with gene therapy–are children next?
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common and, sadly, the most severe form of the debilitating genetic disorder. Now ...
Better beer? Sequenced barley genome could help breeders improve taste, other staple crops
Showing up in your cereal in the morning, your sandwich at lunch, and your beers or single malt Scotch whiskey ...
