Some of the big breakthroughs of 2013, including genome-editing techniques—CRISPR in particular—and methods to reprogram stem cells, were built upon in 2014. But this year also saw spectacular achievements in synthetic biology, imaging approaches, and space exploration. Here—in no particular order—are some of the most impressive accomplishments of the year:
Lab-made chromosome
FLICKR, RISING DAMP In March, scientists reported that they had succeeded in building the first eukaryotic artificial chromosome. The genome was quite similar to the real deal, and the artificial chromosome appeared to function just fine in yeast. The feat “is a landmark in synthetic biology,” Tom Ellis of Imperial College London told The Scientist in March. New York University Langone Medical Center’s Jef Boeke, who led the work, went on to develop a technique later in the year to straighten synthetic chromosomes, which are often circular.
Artificial DNA
FLICKR, STUART CAIEScientists this year created two new DNA bases that, when incorporated into a plasmid, could replicate within in living bacteria. “What we’ve done is successfully finally gotten a cell that stably harbors increased genetic information,” study coauthor Floyd Romesberg, a synthetic biologist at the Scripps Research Institute, told The Scientist in May. “What we want to do next, and what my lab is already working on, is . . . to retrieve that information.”
Mind control
DALE OMORIResearchers devised a method that allows human participants to manipulate the expression of genes in an implant in a mouse using only their concentration (plus a brain-computer-interface). The person uses biofeedback to control his or her brainwave pattern, which then flips on a light that then activates a gene engineered to turn on in response to light. “This is the first time people have gone this far with combining these technologies,” Timothy Lu of MIT told The Scientist in November.
The use of thoughts to control limb prostheses also advanced, with studies improving both the movements and the touch-sensation ...
