Genetic engineering

In a breakthrough that promises to revolutionize the precision breeding of animals, scientists have used the CRISPR gene editing tool to produce infertile animals that become "surrogate sires" and produce sperm containing only donor animal DNA

By tweaking the CRISPR gene-editing technique to target RNA instead of DNA, researchers have been able to destroy toxic accumulations of this molecule, which could pave the way for new treatments for muscular dystrophy and related conditions.

In April 2020, a bull calf named Cosmo was born to a team of scientists. This probably wouldn’t normally be news except that this particular bouncing baby boy had his genome edited as an embryo, to make him more likely to produce male offspring.

The CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system is an extremely powerful tool, but off-target edits can have serious consequences. Now, researchers have found a mutation of the CRISPR enzyme that’s almost 100 times more precise than the most commonly used one.

We've already heard about genetically manipulated types of rice that are drought-resistant and antioxidant-rich. A new one, however, could potentially save the lives of people with high blood pressure.

Of all the superpowers in the animal kingdom, the squid’s ability to turn invisible is one of the coolest. And now scientists at UC Irvine have managed to recreate that in human cells for the first time, granting them tuneable transparency.

GMOs in food are subject to some tight regulations. Now, researchers at North Carolina State University have created a new version of CRISPR that lets scientists edit crops without introducing new DNA, meaning they technically aren’t GMOs.

Several years ago, we heard how scientists were looking at eradicating malaria-carrying mosquitoes by making the females infertile. Now they're going a step further, by eliminating the females altogether.

Geneticists at Penn State University have manipulated the expression of one gene in a plant that makes them more resilient to environmental change – and found that this is passed down to future generations.

While bioluminescent mushrooms certainly are fascinating, getting the things to grow in your home can be challenging. Thanks to a new study, however, it may soon be possible to buy glowing versions of otherwise-conventional easily grown plants.

Despite the fact that corn is one of the world's most commonly-grown crops, it still doesn't tolerate cold temperatures well. That could be about to change, though, as scientists have developed a hardier strain.

Not only are diamondback moths quite harmful to brassica-genus crops such as cabbage, broccoli and canola, but they're also very resistant to insecticides. Help may be on the way, though, in the form of a genetically-engineered version of the moth.