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CRISPR is normally used to edit or delete genes from living cells.  Using a modified version of the CRISPR genome-editing system, MIT researchers have developed a new way to screen for genes that protect against specific diseases.  Led by Timothy Lu, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and of biological engineering,Read more

“Expand your mind, man!” was a popular phrase that arose from the 1960’s counterculture movement. However, it was most likely not referring to the specific neurochemical pathways within the brain that are associated with clinical depression.   Yet now, investigators from Imperial College London have just published evidence showing that patients taking psilocybin – theRead more

Biotechnologists have engineered a genetic barrier to sexual reproduction between otherwise compatible populations. The barrier is called synthetic incompatibility. It depends on programmable transcription factors and works something like a kill switch, one slipped into the genetic code of a sexually reproducing organism. When the organism produces hybrid offspring, this kill switch may activate genesRead more

Keep studying and stay open to new experiences if you want to live longer, is one of the inferences of a major study that looked at the connection between genes, lifestyle choices, and longevity. The genome-wide association meta-analysis, carried out by scientists at the University of Edinburgh, included data from 600,000 people and their parents.Read more

Scientists have generated a rudimentary map of the human gut microbiome, which shows the spatial organization of different microbial species. The studies are the first to examine the three-dimensional landscape of gut microorganisms, according to researchers at the Forsyth Institute in Cambridge, MA, who led the research. “No one has looked at a complex microbialRead more