New CRISPR class expands genetic engineering toolbox

Biomedical engineers have used a previously unexplored CRISPR technology to accurately regulate and edit target genes in human cells. With this new approach, the researchers hope to dramatically expand the CRISPR-based tools available to biomedical engineers, opening up a new and diverse frontier of genome engineering technologies.

Read more

Bird droppings defy expectations

Prevailing wisdom ranks uric acid as the primary ingredient in bird excrement which is comprised mostly of urine. (Birds release both solid and liquid waste at the same time. The white substance is the urine). But according to new research, uric acid can't be the answer. That's because there is no uric acid in excreted bird urine.

Read more

Traditional fisherfolk help uncover ancient fish preservation methods

Archaeologists have little insight into the methods used for the long-term processing and preservation of fish in the past. A study of traditional fish preparation employed by fisherfolk in Panama and Egypt, revealed patterns of modifications to the fishes' skeletons which are comparable to those found among fish remains recovered in archaeological sites.

Read more

Model helps choose wind farm locations, predicts output

The wind is always blowing somewhere, but deciding where to locate a wind farm is a bit more complicated than holding up a wet finger. Now a team of researchers has a model that can locate the best place for the wind farm and even help with 24-hour predictions of energy output.

Read more

Some parents pass on more mutations to their children than others

Everyone is a mutant but some are prone to diverge more than others, report scientists. A new study shows the number of mutations a child has compared to her parents varies dramatically with some people being born with twice as many as others, and that characteristic runs in families.

Read more