Category: Genetics

  • A New Understanding of Bacteriophages May Pave the Way for Their Use

    A New Understanding of Bacteriophages May Pave the Way for Their Use

    Two new studies have advanced our understanding of bacteriophages or phages, which are viruses that infect bacterial cells. Bacteriophages are crucial organisms that can be found in the gut microbiome, and throughout our world. They help keep bacterial populations in check, and could potentially be used to destroy antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections that are affecting crops,…

  • Determining if Epigenetic Changes are a Cause or Effect of Type 2 Diabetes

    Determining if Epigenetic Changes are a Cause or Effect of Type 2 Diabetes

    Our genes play a huge role in everything about us, and it’s thought that they don’t change much over time. But many changes can happen to DNA throughout a lifetime, which leave marks on the genome. Epigenetic tags can involve chemical groups or structural alterations in the genome, for example, and they can have a…

  • Gene Editing Technology Approved in US for Sickle Cell Disease

    Gene Editing Technology Approved in US for Sickle Cell Disease

    A gene editing tool using a system known as CRISPR-Cas9 has recently been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for sickle cell disease. The drug is known as Casgevy and the media has hailed this treatment as a ‘cure’ for sickle cell anemia patients. While it is still unclear if the drug…

  • Mapping Human Immunity with CRISPR Base-Editor Tools

    Mapping Human Immunity with CRISPR Base-Editor Tools

    Human immunity is an incredibly complex system that has to be very carefully regulated by the body. We need our immune systems to be able to leap into action when our health is threatened by pathogens or cancerous cells, and when the immune response goes awry, serious disease and death can result. Scientists have now…

  • How a Bacterial Pathogen Takes Over Host Cell Machinery

    How a Bacterial Pathogen Takes Over Host Cell Machinery

    New research has provided fresh insights into how a dangerous bacterium called Legionella pneumophila can interfere with the normal functions of the cells it infects. The findings have been reported in Nature Cell Biology. Proteins, which are made from amino acids, carry out many of the functions of life in organisms. In cells, active genes…

  • In Humans, One Organ Can Age at an Accelerated Rate & A New Method IDs It

    In Humans, One Organ Can Age at an Accelerated Rate & A New Method IDs It

    New research used data from over 5,500 people to show that our organs age at different rates, and that when one organ is particularly aged compared to the others, the carrier has a higher risk of developing a disease involving that organ, and dying. The study determined that around one in five people over the…

  • The 23andMe Incident Highlights Genetic Privacy Limits

    The 23andMe Incident Highlights Genetic Privacy Limits

    “Your data is fiercely protected by security,” declares 23andMe’s website, which boasts “software, hardware, and physical security measures” for data protection. However, a recent security breach at the direct-to-consumer genetic testing firm has far-reaching privacy implications for those who sequence their genome and those who don’t. This breach challenges the limits of established security measures.…

  • A Genetic Variant That Protects Against Obesity

    A Genetic Variant That Protects Against Obesity

    The sequences of our genes can carry small variations; sometimes they only involve a single base. These variations can have a wide range of impacts on our biology, and together they make us unique. Some gene variants can have beneficial effects. New research has identified a genetic variant that could help carriers resist obesity by…

  • Lost in Translation: Ribosomal mistakes & COVID side effects

    Lost in Translation: Ribosomal mistakes & COVID side effects

    Fears about the COVID-19 vaccine’s side effects have left some folks hesitant to join the immunization party, inadvertently affecting broader disease prevention. A recent study in Nature unveils a potential cause of unwanted mRNA vaccine reactions. A simple solution could mitigate the unintended side effects, scaring people away from the treatment. This research by Mulroney…

  • It’s Electric! Eels Can Move Genetic Material to Other Animals

    It’s Electric! Eels Can Move Genetic Material to Other Animals

    The electric eel is an amazing animal that can unleash up to 860 volts of electricity. Scientists have now found that the eel’s electric current can also lead to the uptake of genetic material by fish larvae. This process is related to electroporation, a technique in which an electric field is used to create holes…