Credit: fpm/Getty Images A computer program that can predict which genes help bacteria defend against pathogens could lead to the next generation of precision genetic engineering tools. The artificial intelligence model recognizes the sequence of genes involved in defenses against bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria. These immune systems have been transferred to powerful gene editing technologies, … Read more
Credit: Love Staff / Getty Images The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Homeland Security, and other authorities have reported a record number of illegal shipments of organic goods. At the same time, the world’s intelligence community has noticed many attempts to smuggle sensitive biological samples in attempts at industrial theft or … Read more
Credit: Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash Researchers led by a team at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified and described a previously unknown neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) that appears to be the most common neurodevelopmental disorder ever discovered. The condition, caused by a mutation in a small gene called RNU2-2it is … Read more
Credit: spxChrome/iStock/Getty Images Plus A A new study published in Development of Blood provides the clearest evidence yet that exposure to Agent Orange—a chemical agent widely used during the Vietnam War—may leave permanent genetic defects that increase the risk of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of bone cancers that can progress to acute leukemia. Led … Read more