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Gene Therapy Finds a Fertile Home in Ohio
Gene Therapy Finds a Fertile Home in Ohio
The midwestern state has quietly laid the groundwork for a biotech hub.
Gene Therapy Finds a Fertile Home in Ohio
Gene Therapy Finds a Fertile Home in Ohio

The midwestern state has quietly laid the groundwork for a biotech hub.

The midwestern state has quietly laid the groundwork for a biotech hub.

genetics & genomics

Circadian Clock Genes Help a Crop Pest Adapt to Climate Change
Emily Makowski | Jan 13, 2020 | 3 min read
As global temperatures rise and winters shorten, caterpillars of the corn borer moth are emerging earlier in parts of the US thanks to changes in two genes, researchers find.
Transposons Identified as Likely Cause of Undiagnosed Diseases
Jef Akst | Jan 13, 2020 | 4 min read
A tool for identifying jumping gene insertions in DNA sequencing data turns up possible explanations for four patients’ rare developmental disorders.
a photo of ampules stored in wire racks
Scripps Acquires Pfizer’s Massive Microbial Library
Jef Akst | Jan 9, 2020 | 5 min read
The East Coast campus of the research institute received shipments of freeze-dried or frozen samples of more than 210,000 microbial strains, which scientists plan to mine for potentially useful natural products.
an illustration of a DNA helix
Clinical Exome Sequencing Tests Are Frequently Incomplete: Study
Kerry Grens | Jan 8, 2020 | 2 min read
A review of 36 individuals’ sequencing results performed by three US labs finds thousands of genes that were never fully sequenced to industry standards.
a baby's hand cradled by an adult hand
Lottery Underway for Rare Muscle-Wasting Disease Gene Therapy
Lisa Winter | Jan 7, 2020 | 2 min read
The announcement by Novartis, the maker of Zolgensma, has drawn mixed reactions from the spinal muscular atrophy community.
A New Way to Establish Cause and Effect in Epidemiology?
Rachael Moeller Gorman | Jan 1, 2020 | 7 min read
A technique called Mendelian randomization is overturning the conclusions of observational studies in public health. But researchers question whether the method can overcome its fundamental limitations.
Those We Lost in 2019
Ashley Yeager | Dec 30, 2019 | 6 min read
The scientific community said goodbye to Sydney Brenner, Paul Greengard, Patricia Bath, and a number of other leading researchers this year.
China Sentences Gene-Editing Scientist to Three Years in Jail
Emily Makowski | Dec 30, 2019 | 2 min read
The modification of three babies’ genes by He Jiankui drew widespread criticism from scientists.
dual expresser t cell immunology type 1 diabetes
The Science News that Shaped 2019
Kerry Grens | Dec 20, 2019 | 6 min read
A T cell discovery, “hachimoji” DNA, a new species of human, and mounting fears of espionage rounded off the list this year.
decade 2019 2020 chimeras crispr neanderthal denisovan genome sequence ancient dna
What A Long, Strange Decade It’s Been
Bob Grant | Dec 20, 2019 | 5 min read
For the past 10 years, life science has moved us closer to a complete understanding of what makes us human—our similarities, our differences, and our shared history.
Image of the Day: Sciency Sweater
Emily Makowski | Dec 20, 2019 | 1 min read
An evolutionary biologist knits a festive homage to her research.
sma spinal muscular atrophy zolgensma in utero fetal gene therapy smn1
Fetal Gene Therapy Helps Mice with Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Dec 11, 2019 | 4 min read
The animals lived longer and showed milder symptoms than untreated mice, although they didn’t survive as long as wildtype mice.
Circulating Fetal Cells Sequenced for Prenatal Testing Study
Emily Makowski | Dec 10, 2019 | 3 min read
Trophoblasts, collected from the mother during a blood draw, can determine fetal genetic abnormalities currently diagnosed through amniocentesis or chorionic villi sampling.
3d printed rabbit dna data storage
Object Engineered to Carry a DNA Code for its Own Replication
Kerry Grens | Dec 9, 2019 | 2 min read
A 3-D printed rabbit is made from a blueprint stored in DNA, which itself is stored in a printed rabbit.
China Is Using DNA from Uighurs to Predict Physical Features
Catherine Offord | Dec 3, 2019 | 2 min read
An investigation reveals that the government is developing technology to try to reconstruct a person’s appearance based on a genetic sample, raising concerns for the rights of Muslim minority groups in the country.
Selecting Embryos for IQ, Height Not Currently Practical: Study
Shawna Williams | Nov 21, 2019 | 2 min read
Building simulations based on real genetic data, researchers conclude Gattaca-like tactics to choose the traits of future offspring would yield little payoff.
rna-seq rna sequencing bias dataset transcript
Technical Bias Widespread in RNA-Seq Datasets
Diana Kwon | Nov 21, 2019 | 3 min read
Genes that are exceptionally long or short are overrepresented in some published reports, which can lead to misinterpreted results.
Genomes Sequenced for Every US and Canada Butterfly
Emily Makowski | Nov 20, 2019 | 2 min read
Researchers analyzed more than 800 species.
photo of green, tube-like Spirogloea muscicola
Genes from Bacteria Likely Aided Plants’ Move to Land
Shawna Williams | Nov 15, 2019 | 2 min read
An analysis suggests that DNA cribbed from soil microbes enabled plants’ ancestors to colonize a terrestrial environment.
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