The “woolly mouse” was developed by Colossal Biosciences by editing genes to give the mouse a bushier, thicker coat, akin to that of the extinct woolly mammoth. Colossal Topics: Biology, Biotechnology, Research Note: I had a pet hamster named “Woolly,” that looked remarkably like this one. I’m sure cloning wasn’t at this point decades ago.Continue reading “Woolly Mouse…”
Category Archives: Biotechnology
Tiny Tractor Beam…
This chip-based “tractor-beam,” which uses an intensely focused beam of light to capture and manipulate biological particles without damaging the cells, could help biologists study the mechanisms of diseases. Credits: Credit: Sampson Wilcox, RLE Topics: Biology, Biotechnology, Optical Tweezers, Research MIT researchers have developed a miniature, chip-based “tractor beam,” like the one that captures theContinue reading “Tiny Tractor Beam…”
Anthrobots…
An Anthrobot is shown, depth colored, with a corona of cilia that provides locomotion for the bot. Credit: Gizem Gumuskaya, Tufts University Topics: Applied Physics, Biology, Biomimetics, Biotechnology, Research, Robotics Researchers at Tufts University and Harvard University’s Wyss Institute have created tiny biological robots that they call Anthrobots from human tracheal cells that can moveContinue reading “Anthrobots…”
Stronger Than Steel…
Researchers from the University of Connecticut and colleagues have created a highly durable, lightweight material by structuring DNA and then coating it in glass. The resulting product, characterized by its nanolattice structure, exhibits a unique combination of strength and low density, making it potentially useful in applications like vehicle manufacturing and body armor. (Artist’s concept.)Continue reading “Stronger Than Steel…”
Magnetic Chirality…
An RNA-making molecule crystallizes on magnetite, which can bias the process toward a single chiral form. S. FURKAN OZTURK Topics: Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Magnetism, Materials Science In 1848, French chemist Louis Pasteur discovered that some molecules essential for life exist in mirror-image forms, much like our left and right hands. Today, we know biology choosesContinue reading “Magnetic Chirality…”
Electrical Wound Care…
New research from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and the University of Freiburg, Germany, shows that wounds on cultured skin cells heal three times faster when stimulated with electric current. The project was recently granted more funding so the research can get one step closer to the market and the benefit of patients. Credit: ScienceContinue reading “Electrical Wound Care…”
Caveat Modifier…
The Biofire Smart Gun. Photographer: James Stukenberg for Bloomberg Businessweek Topics: Biometrics, Biotechnology, Computer Science, Democracy, Materials Science, Semiconductor Technology Tech Target (Alyssa Provazza, Editorial Director): “A smartphone is a cellular telephone with an integrated computer and other features not originally associated with telephones, such as an operating system, web browsing, and the ability to runContinue reading “Caveat Modifier…”
LNPs…
Cancer cells are one of the main targets for expanded mRNA-LNP use. Credit: Iliescu Catalin / Alamy Topics: Biology, Biotechnology, Cancer, COVID-19, Nanotechnology Note: This is an advertisement on Nature Portfolio discussing that there may be a silver lining in the pandemic we’ve all experienced. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) transport small molecules into the body. TheContinue reading “LNPs…”
Like Mushrooms for Plastics…
Credit: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Topics: Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering A research group from VTT Technical Research Center of Finland has unlocked the secret behind the extraordinary mechanical properties and ultra-light weight of certain fungi. The complex architectural design of mushrooms could be mimicked and used to create new materialsContinue reading “Like Mushrooms for Plastics…”
Nanowires and Climate Change…
Image Credit: Down to the wire (IMAGE), Yale University Topics: Biotechnology, Civilization, Climate Change, Nanotechnology Accelerated climate change is a major and acute threat to life on Earth. Rising temperatures are caused by atmospheric methane, which is 30 times more potent than CO2 at trapping heat. Microbes are responsible for generating half of this methane. Elevated temperatures are also acceleratingContinue reading “Nanowires and Climate Change…”
Physics and Nano 