Allowing scientists to make cut-and-paste edits to an organism’s genome, the CRISPR gene-editing tool may be powerful, but it’s still a bit clumsy. Now, researchers have developed a neater new version dubbed MAGESTIC, which they describe as swapping the scissors for a word processor.
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A team from Duke University has used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique to switch off certain genes in mice to reduce cholesterol levels, marking the first time CRISPR has been used to silence genes – without making edits – in adult animals.
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A statement issued by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue last week has clarified that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) currently does not, and has no plans to, regulate gene edited plants or crops.
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Last year, a study caused controversy claiming to find over 100 unintended large genetic deletions or insertions related to the CRISPR gene-editing process. Now the paper has been officially retracted after a thorough review found its main claims were not sufficiently backed up by data.
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Scientists have revealed that a genetic tweak to a single protein could result in crops needing up to 25 percent less water to produce a regular yield. It's hoped the breakthrough will lead to a new generation of water-efficient agriculture.
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A team from the University of Cambridge and a Dutch company called Hoekmine BV has outlined how we might one day grow new organic paints and coatings out of vibrantly-colored bacteria colonies.
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2017 was a busy year for science. Researchers got new tools, doctors got new medicines, and tables were laid with new foods, the ultimate shut-ins got their first glimmer of freedom, and we learned who really will inherit the Earth. Let's look back at the highlights of this year in science.
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CRISPR-Cas9 shows incredible promise, but the long term effects of cutting DNA in living organisms isn’t known. Now scientists from the Salk Institute have modified it to work without cutting, switching targeted genes on and off instead, and used it to treat diabetes and muscular dystrophy in mice.
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Engineered bacteria can be great little workhorses, but they could be dangerous if they were to ever escape from their intended environments. To keep the critters in check, scientists from Harvard’s Wyss Institute have developed two types of “kill switches” that can be embedded in their genomes.
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A pair of independent studies from two teams used CRISPR technology to genetically alter ants to remove their ability to "smell," which resulted in their inability to interact with normal ants and produced changes in their brains.
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