In 2016, synthetic biologists reconstructed a possibly extinct disease, known as horsepox, using mail-order DNA for around $100,000. The experiment was strictly for research purposes, and the disease itself is harmless to ...
Biotechnology
Oct 5, 2018
0
12
Biology and biotechnology have entered a digital age, but security policies around such activities have not kept pace.
Biotechnology
Dec 7, 2017
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15
Think of life as a house: if DNA molecules are blueprints, then messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are orders, describing the required parts (proteins) and when they should arrive. But putting in many orders doesn't always mean you'll ...
Biochemistry
May 3, 2017
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7
Human MutT homolog 1 (hMTH1) protein acts as the primary enzyme for breaking down (hydrolyzing) damaged (oxidized) deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) the substrates of DNA synthesis. Recently, hMTH1 has drawn attention ...
Biochemistry
Mar 29, 2017
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5
Synthetic DNA allows scientists to expand the breadth and depth of their genomic research. In this study researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) have developed a suite of build-optimization ...
Biotechnology
Mar 15, 2017
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6
Genome-wide studies of fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) suggest that the evolutionary conserved enzyme Pfh1 helicase facilitates DNA synthesis by tracking along with the replication apparatus, promoting intact DNA ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 12, 2016
0
7
A protein of the ISWI family (Imitation Switch, or nucleosome remodelling motors) is endowed with a special property: despite having no organ of sense it is nonetheless able to assess the length of DNA strands. A study just ...
Biotechnology
May 23, 2016
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8
Last October, scientists in California sequenced the DNA for the "type H" botulinum toxin. One gram of this toxin would be sufficient to kill half a billion people, making it the deadliest substance yet discovered – with ...
Other
Feb 4, 2014
1
0
Microelectronic engineers in Singapore have developed and tested sensor technology that can detect and measure a chemical signature of bladder cancer. The light-based sensor could eventually be used for the early diagnosis ...
Analytical Chemistry
Aug 14, 2013
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0
Sequencing, splicing and expressing DNA may seem to be the quintessence of cutting-edge science—indeed DNA manipulation has revolutionized fields such as biofuels, chemicals and medicine. But in fact, the actual process ...
Biotechnology
Oct 2, 2012
0
0
