Genome

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.

Scientists have now sequenced the genome of the Mexican axolotl, and have identified a few key genes hidden amongst its extremely complex genetic blueprint that shed some light on its remarkable regeneration capabilities.

According to a new study, the thylacine was struggling even before humans hunted them to extinction. After sequencing the complete genome from a century-old specimen, the researchers investigated the evolution of the thylacine to potentially help current endangered species avoid the same fate.

An international team of scientists has identified a new species of orangutan, living in an isolated part of North Sumatra. Dubbed Pongo Tapanuliensis, comprehensive studies of its genomes and skull confirmed it as a distinct species. And unfortunately, it’s already critically endangered.

An international team, made up of scientists from several different universities, has successfully identified over 100 genetic risk factors that increase a person’s chances of developing three common allergic conditions: asthma, hay fever and eczema.

​Is sex overrated? The asexual root-knot nematode might think so. It has evolved to reproduce without sex and while this might not sound like a life worth living, it has turned them into far more efficient crop-killing machines than their sexually reproducing cousins.

As unassuming as it might look, the unisexual Ambystoma salamander has been breaking evolution’s rules for millions of years to establish a girls-only lineage. A new study sheds light on the genetic balancing act these lady salamanders perform to survive and thrive.​​

When life gives you an ancient cave filled with dirt, look for DNA. That’s what scientists who study ancient humans will likely be doing following the revelation of a new technique that enables the recovery of hominin DNA directly from sediments without the need for fossils.

After a decade of study, an international team of scientists has finally unraveled the genome of barley, an achievement that could not only lead to tastier beer and whiskey, but a better understanding of other staple food crops.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally approved into the market a direct-to-consumer genetic screening service after initially banning the device back in 2013 following concerns about the public health consequences of inaccurate results.

Researchers claim to have created the first stable, replicating semisynthetic organism to contain an extra pair of artificial bases in its genetic code that are able to be passed from one generation to the next

A just-announced project to chemically produce an entire human genome in a lab seems like a logical next step for genetics – even if it could one day lead to lab-made humans with no biological parents.