By Ryan Hylton Basic concept of the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Photo Credit: Vox/Javier Zarracina At least 6,000 human diseases are caused by heritable genetic mutations1. A long-time dream of physicians and patients alike has been to specifically treat these diseases by manipulating the genetic code in affected patients. This dream became one step closer to reality … Continue reading The First Use of CRISPR to Treat a Genetic Disease in a Live Patient
biology
The Good, the Bad, and the Misunderstood: Understanding Ingredients in Plant-Based “Meats”
By Stephen Matthews Credit: Thomas Ulrich from Pixabay In today’s day and age, it is incredibly easy to search the internet and find answers to any question you may have. This increased access to information provides an easy avenue for misinformation to spread. With the abundance of searchable information available, it can be difficult to … Continue reading The Good, the Bad, and the Misunderstood: Understanding Ingredients in Plant-Based “Meats”
Newly identified gene variant may render hormonal birth control less effective
Credit: Gabriela Sanda from Pixabay Temperatures are getting cooler and days are getting shorter—fall is definitely here. With the dawn of October, many are ready for the month-long campaign devoted to raising awareness for women’s health. While pink ribbons and highlights in advancements in breast cancer research may abound in the coming weeks, a recent … Continue reading Newly identified gene variant may render hormonal birth control less effective
One Year After Gene-Edited Babies
Credit: PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay Almost one year ago, Dr. He Jiankui at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China announced to the world he had used gene editing on human embryos resulting in the birth of a set of twins: “Lulu” and “Nana”. Jiankui claimed to have used CRISPR, a gene editing … Continue reading One Year After Gene-Edited Babies
Lost in Translation
Credit: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Anyone that’s taken a high school biology class is probably familiar with the central dogma of biology—DNA is transcribed into mRNA, which is translated into protein. Central Dogma of Biology As the basis for general biology, transcription and translation are fundamental to understanding the living systems scientists study. Despite the … Continue reading Lost in Translation
Lions Talk Science 