Genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) are biological entities—prokaryotic or eukaryotic—whose genomes have been deliberately modified using recombinant DNA technologies, genome editing tools (e.g., CRISPR-Cas systems, TALENs, ZFNs), or transgenic methods to introduce, delete, or alter specific genetic sequences. This topic encompasses the design, construction, and characterization of modified genomes; vector systems and delivery methods; control of gene expression; and assessment of phenotypic consequences, stability, and off-target effects. It also includes applications in basic research, biotechnology, agriculture, biopharmaceutical production, and synthetic biology, as well as associated biosafety, containment, and regulatory frameworks governing experimental and environmental use.
The Canadian government's recent approval of the first gene-edited animal to enter the food system has reignited debates over whether foods produced using genetic engineering techniques should be labeled.
Agriculture
Feb 16, 2026
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21
A research team has developed the "SUPER (Synthetic Upcycling Platform for Engineering Regulators)" platform, which dramatically enhances the performance and stability of gene regulatory devices. This research was recently ...
Biotechnology
Feb 10, 2026
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17
A scientific breakthrough not only promises faster testing for antimicrobial resistance, but also an ethical solution to the controversial issue of using rodents in research. University of Exeter scientists have created the ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 9, 2026
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42
In the pursuit of solutions to complex global challenges including disease, energy demands, and climate change, scientific researchers, including at MIT, have turned to artificial intelligence, and to quantitative analysis ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Feb 7, 2026
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23
Gas vesicles are among the largest known protein nanostructures produced and assembled inside microbial cells. These hollow, air-filled cylindrical nanostructures found in certain aquatic microbes have drawn increasing interest ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 2, 2026
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22
Twisting upwardly on trees and other plants—along with houses and even lampposts—vines are a wonder of nature. However, their marvels mask their parasitic behavior: in attaching to other life forms, vines block sunlight necessary ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 2, 2026
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19
DNA can be thought of as a vast library that stores all genetic information. Cells do not use this information all at once. Instead, they copy only the necessary parts into RNA, which is then used to produce proteins—the ...
Biotechnology
Jan 31, 2026
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266
Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have completed a spaceflight biology investigation aboard the International Space Station (ISS) that reveals how microgravity fundamentally alters microbial metabolism, ...
Space Exploration
Jan 26, 2026
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56
A research team led by the University of Oxford's Department of Engineering Science has shown it is possible to engineer a quantum mechanical process inside proteins, opening the door to a new class of quantum-enabled biological ...
Biotechnology
Jan 21, 2026
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84
Bacteriophages have been used therapeutically to treat infectious bacterial diseases for over a century. As antibiotic-resistant infections increasingly threaten public health, interest in bacteriophages as therapeutics has ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 19, 2026
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495
