5-Aminolevulinic acid, often shortened to 5-ALA, is a highly sought-after amino acid. It's valuable in many industries, but making it efficiently has been a challenge. Researchers have been working on using bacteria as tiny factories to produce 5-ALA. The trick is to find a quick way to check which bacteria are the best producers. One way to do this is by looking at...
Cancer treatment has seen a major boost with the introduction of allogeneic cell-based therapies. These treatments, especially CAR-T cell therapy, are a big deal because they can be made in large quantities and are consistent. However, there is a significant hurdle: graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). This occurs when the transplanted cells attack the patient's body. R...
The Asian corn borer is a serious threat to corn crops in Asia. This pest has a knack for developing resistance to genetically modified crops. These crops produce insecticidal proteins from a bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt for short. To stay ahead of these pests, scientists need to understand how resistance works. This understanding can help in monito...
Scientists have made a big leap in bringing back the woolly mammoth. They have created mice with thick, woolly fur, similar to what woolly mammoths had. This fur helped the mammoths survive the cold during the last Ice Age. The scientists used advanced genetic engineering techniques to modify specific genes in mice. These genes control hair texture, length, and densi...
Scientists have created a mouse with mammoth-like fur. This is part of a bigger plan to bring back the woolly mammoth. The company behind this is using a technology called CRISPR. They found genes in mice that are similar to those in mammoths. Then, they edited the mouse embryos to have these genes. The embryos were then placed in surrogate mouse mothers. The result ...
Imagine a sci-fi story becoming reality in a Dallas laboratory. Ben Lamm, CEO of Colossal Biosciences, isn't bringing back dinosaurs like in Jurassic Park. Instead, his team is aiming to revive the woolly mammoth and other long-extinct species. This isn't just a crazy idea; they've raised $435 million and are valued at $10 billion. The mastermind behind this is Geor...
Bringing extinct animals back to life is not just a fantasy anymore. Thanks to advancements in genetic engineering and synthetic biology, companies like Colossal Biosciences are working on resurrecting creatures like the woolly mammoth and dodo. Recently, they secured a massive $200 million investment, totaling $435 million. This money is fueling their ambition to re...
Imagine a world where mosquitoes could be their own worst enemy. Australian researchers have come up with a fascinating idea: genetically modify male mosquitoes so their semen is toxic to females. This might sound a bit wild, but it could be a game-changer in the fight against diseases like malaria and dengue fever. Only female mosquitoes bite and spread diseases, so...
Do you know what tiny, simple lifeforms that have been around for nearly a billion years can do? Well, scientists found out that they can help create a living mammal, like a mouse! These little guys, called choanoflagellates, have special genes that can turn regular cells into amazing, do-anything cells called stem cells. Even though these organisms are just single c...