New Atlas

Science Audio available

CRISPR used to build dual-core computers inside human cells

Michael Irving April 17, 2019

The CRISPR gene-editing system is usually known for helping scientists treat genetic diseases, but the technology has a whole range of possible uses in synthetic biology too. Now researchers at ETH Zurich have used CRISPR to build functional biocomputers inside human cells.

CRISPR has been used to insert biological computer processors into human cells

Biology Audio available

Severe flu could cause taste buds to grow in your lungs

Michael Irving April 2, 2019

In extreme cases the flu virus can actually reshape the structure of the lungs. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered a major part of that restructuring that until now had gone unnoticed – “taste bud cells” seem to grow in the lungs after a severe case of the flu.

Science Audio available

Lego contraption spins up starchy supports for lab-grown steaks

Michael Irving March 27, 2019

Growing meat in the lab from cultured cells is a promising technology, and now a team of food scientists has developed a new method for spinning starchy structures that could hold a steak together. Stranger still, this device is made of Lego.

Researchers have used Lego to build a device that spins starch fibers as supports for lab-grown ...

Medical Audio available

Magnetic nano-probe explores individual cells from the inside

Michael Irving March 13, 2019

In future, microscopic robots could help heal us. While some of these have been capable of manipulating individual cells, researchers at the University of Toronto have developed a new way to get nanobots inside cells, and precisely control them once they’re in there.

A new nano-scale magnetic system is being developed to examine cells from the inside

Biology

Placenta-on-a-chip test shows how caffeine passes from mother to baby

Michael Irving February 18, 2019

The placenta may be one of the least understood organs, but it’s important to study its effects on the health of a developing fetus. Researchers at Iowa State University have used microfluidic models of the organ, a placenta-on-a-chip, to see if, and how much, caffeine can cross from mother to baby.

Using a placenta-on-a-chip, researchers have found that caffeine can be passed from a mother to a ...

Biology Audio available

New Oxford-developed tool reads the life histories of cancer cells

Michael Irving February 12, 2019

Tumors are made up of many different types of cancer cells, and we can’t always clear them all out. Now Oxford researchers have developed a way to track the genetic “life histories” of thousands of individual cancer cells at once, which may lead to more effective and personalized cancer treatments.

Oxford researchers have developed a new technique that can track the "life histories" of cancer cells

Biology Audio available

Converting cells into new neurons could lead to a pill that repairs brain damage

Michael Irving February 10, 2019

Researchers at Penn State may have found a way to boost the brain’s regenerative abilities, using certain molecules to convert neighboring cells into new neurons. The technique could eventually lead to pills that treat brain injuries, stroke or Alzheimer’s disease.

New neurons, four months after being converted from glial cells thanks to a chemical formula developed ...

Science Audio available

Lightning's electromagnetic fields may have a weird "healing" effect on living cells

Michael Irving February 10, 2019

A new study from Tel Aviv University suggests that the electromagnetic fields given off by lightning activity around the world could protect living cells from certain kinds of damage, which may have had implications for the evolution of life on Earth.

A new study suggests low-level electromagnetic fields from lightning strikes may protect living cells

Biology Audio available

Muscles may maintain the "memory" of past gains in their cells

Michael Irving January 28, 2019

One of the most frustrating things about exercise is how easily progress can be undone, but maybe not all is lost after all. Researchers have now found that muscles keep their nuclei from past growth, which makes it easier to rebuild later after a period of inactivity.

Researchers have found that muscles maintain the "memory" for past growth, making it easier to rebuild ...

Medical Audio available

New drug stops cancer growth by disrupting its cellular circadian clock

Rich Haridy January 23, 2019

A new study has revealed an experimental new drug can stop cancer cells from growing by disrupting their internal circadian clock. The novel cancer-battling concept has only been tested in mice but it suggests an entirely new technique to stifle growth in this devastatingly prolific disease.