Genetic engineering

Not content with the woolly mammoth and the thylacine, Colossal Biosciences has now announced the third animal on its de-extinction list – the dodo. The company has received new funding, and provided an update on its scientific progress so far.

Manipulating microbes has helped human civilization for millennia, since we started using yeast to make bread and booze. In a modern breakthrough, scientists have created semi-living “cyborg cells” that can survive in environments natural cells can’t.

We've all heard how it's a good idea to have plants in your home, as they purify the air. Well, the bioengineered Neo P1 is said to excel in that department, as it's reportedly equivalent to up to 30 regular houseplants in terms of air purification.

Scientists have found a way to fight cancer with cancer, by genetically engineering cancer cells to release drugs at established tumor sites and stimulating the immune system. Tests in mice showed promise as both a therapy and preventative vaccine.

Researchers have resurrected ancient CRISPR proteins from millions and even billions of years ago. Not only can they still edit human cells, but they’re more versatile than modern versions, paving the way for new synthetic CRISPR gene-editing tools.

Breeding plants can give them new beneficial traits, but trees have a frustratingly long reproductive cycle. Now, scientists at the University of Georgia have used CRISPR gene-editing to make poplar trees flower within months rather than a decade.

A new technique has been added to the CRISPR gene-editing toolbox. Known as PASTE, the system uses virus enzymes to “drag-and-drop” large sections of DNA into a genome, which could help treat a range of genetic diseases.

Although plain popcorn is a relatively healthy snack, it's still not one that most people would think of as being very nutritious. That could change, however, as a new variety reportedly offers nearly twice the normal levels of an important nutrient.

With demand for vegetable oil only expected to increase, a team of scientists in Singapore has demonstrated a way of increasing the yield of oil from plants through genetic engineering, which could increase the output by as much as 18%.

Scientists have demonstrated a new potential way to edit the genomes of bacteria in complex environments, by equipping viruses to hunt them down and insert the CRISPR gene-editing system.

While plants such as soybeans are major sources of biofuel, they're grown on land that could otherwise be used for food crops. With that problem in mind, scientists have genetically engineered oil-producing duckweed that could be grown in wastewater.

When it comes to keeping mosquitoes from spreading malaria, some approaches involve killing the insects, or stopping them from acquiring malaria parasites. A new method, however, stunts the growth of the parasites once they're in the mosquito's gut.