Gene-edited mushroom is changing GMO dialogue
At Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, an associate professor developed an anti-browning mushroom that would not be subject to USDA approval. He created the mushroom using the CRISPR-Cas9 technique. This is the first CRISPR-Cas9 gene-edited crop that has not been required regulatory review. It does not require USDA regulation because it does not contain DNA from foreign organisms, it is transgene-free due to using the CRISPR-Cas9 tool.There has just been a deletion in a specific gene, no foreign DNA inserted. The result of the non-browning mushroom is a longer shelf life that resists blemishes.
Does this interfere with the discoloration that comes from spoiling? I could see this leading to the types of problems that we have in the meat industry and the misconception that brown meat is spoiled which leads many companies to unnecessarily irradiate their meat to maintain the red color longer.
Biochemists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston led a research team to investigate how to improve the body clock and protect it against metabolic syndrome. About 1/3 of adults in the U.S are diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Adults with this issue are at risk for heart disease and other diseases. The research shows that people who have metabolic syndrome have weak body clocks, or circadian clock. This team wanted to search for a small molecule that will enhance the body clock of someone with metabolic syndrome. The team used citrus peels and gave them to mice. The mice that received the compound lost 40% of their excess weight. The drug only works by increasing the activity level and expending energy. There was no impact on the mouse if there was no activity. The research team also found that the receptor of the body clock, Nobiletin, binds to retinoid acid receptor. This drug that the team developed amplifies the metabolic genes to help burn more fuel and store less of it. The drug will increase the metabolism to prevent weight gain even with increased calorie intake. It was only tested on mice and they have yet to test it on humans.
This sounds awesome however I feel that many Americans will over use this drug as a weight loss drug instead of preventing and or trying to reverse metabolic syndrome. I would be one of those Americans that would use this drug as a weight loss drug.
.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/agriculture/geneticmodification/8423536/Genetically-modified-cows-produce-human-milk.html
Using cloning biotechnology the genetically modified cow eggs where inserted into a surrogate cow mother. Theses genetically modified eggs had altered DNA specifically for coding for special proteins such as lysozyme, lactoferrin, alpha-lactalbumin, and other proteins that boost the immune system naturally found in human breast milk. The genetically modified milk has fat content around twenty percent. There are three hundred dairy cows producing “human breast milk”. These cows where made in consideration for baby’s and infants as an alternative from formula. However many people are on edge about giving babies genetically modified milk. We do not know the long-term outcome from this genetically modified milk. Long-term research is needed before we give babies the genetically modified. This milk has been drake by its creators and other willingly taste testers.
However to me my concern about this genetically modified milk is, maybe the mothers’ milk is more beneficial than we think. The off spring of the mother need to survive in the environment the mother is in and has been in. the mother will make specific proteins in her milk from her body adapting to the environment. A woman’s breast milk contains more than seven hundred types of bacteria, this bacteria helps establish the babies immune system. When the mother spends fifteen minutes laughing she creates more melatonin in her breast milk, which then helps the baby relax. Possibly the article genetically modified “breast milk” might not have certain bacteria’s that the mother can provide in which the baby might need. One pro about the genetically modified breast milk is, the baby might have an exposure to different types of bacteria that the mother never had an exposure to. On the contrary this is why much more research is needed!
I found it very interesting that they have created a way to produce a way to not only genetically clone an animal but have it produce milk that is similar to human breast milk. This can be a very useful alternative as you stated to formula but I feel too many people are afraid of the effects it could have on a child’s development using genetically modified breast milk. More research is definitely needed to make a informed decision on the future of this though.
This article explains the process of restoring sight to the blind. It is occurring in Ann Arbor, Michigan and is the first of tests of optogenetics on humans. They are injecting a non harmful DNA virus of photo receptive algae into the eye of 15 patients who are blind. The substance injected into their eyes will give help make the neurons responsive to light. The same protein the algae use to respond to light, channelrhodopsin, is the protein which is being injected into their eyes. Procedures like this is a good start to optogenetics since it doesn’t involve any surgeries or implants. Although this sounds great, there is a drawback in which the light receptive protein will only respond to intense light and not all light. We will just have to wait and see how it is.
I find this post interesting because it caught my attention due to the fact that it took place in ann arbor. I am also stunned to come to realize that people who may never have got to see the light of day still have hope. This post makes me more interested into researching more on this topic to follow up on how the results turned out.
After a team of researches collected samples at San Diego, Flagstaff, and Toronto, they determined that cities could be identified based on their bacterial fingerprints. Each site that they tested contained the same carpeting, ceiling tiles, and drywall swatches, so that conditions at each site were similar. Skin, nasal, oral, and fecal microbiome samples were collected from the researches involved in the study, as well as the office workers. The researches were able to determine that regardless of location (city), floors were generally the ‘dirtiest,’ or densely inhabited by bacterial communities. Next, the researchers used a support vector machine (computer model) to determine which city the samples came from (using microbes.) Their computer model was able to predict the city in which the samples originated from with 85% accuracy. This meant that cities have their own unique microbiomes.
This is an awesome find, although not surprising! Think about different viruses/bacteria that are more prevalent in certain areas of the world. This is why soil samples can often be taken and analyzed, because, not only is the material that makes up the dirt different but the different microbes are as well.
This is a really cool article! It was interesting to know that cities themselves can have their own fingerprints. It just goes to show you that earth is an amazing planet.
This was an interesting read. It is not surprising though. The workers weren’t confined to the offices. They had to leave to get lunch and go home. i assume they wouldn’t fly from major city to major city. The bacteria that is in New York would have a hard time getting to LA. If it got to another city it would eventually change to survive the environment. It would be more like the bacteria in the new city.
Biotechnology company Genome Profiling (GenPro) is on the verge of gaining the technology to diagnose specific cancers early, before even the first symptoms appear. This will allow for the correct treatment for the correct time spans for patients. Jeb Connor and Adam Marsh of GenPro are developing the technology to read genetic materials and be able to tell what is being read incorrectly by the body, for example when an epigenome’s marks are being interpreted incorrectly and cells continue to grow resulting in a tumor.
This is interesting to me, i think this is a great thing however who all would this be available to based on pricing. I did however watch a show based on this study and a family had all gotten genetic tests to see what types of disease and disorders they could get and they looked at family history to see what would be common. On the bright side when they got their results back the tests claimed to have shown they would not be getting breast cancer.
For years, Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) was used to dust corn crops. It’s function being that it would neutralize and kill insects. By producting a protein that was toxic to insects, particualry the European Corn Borer. To combat this problem and reduce the need for dusting, scientists developed the first ever transgenic corn, expressing the BT protein, which was then followed by the BT potato and cotton. Because the BT protein is not toxic to humans, this allowed farmers to avoid expensive losses due to infestations in their crops.
Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in collaboration with the University of Kiev have developed an anti-tumor agent that is photoswitchable and oxygen independent. Oxygen dependence of the photoswitchable anti-tumor agents was the reason prior photodynamic therapies resulted in excessive side effect and only slight changes in tumor growth. Since cancerous cells grow rapidly and divide at a high rate, oxygen levels in these cells is very low and previous agents were not very effective and affected surrounding healthy cells with normal oxygen levels. The development of an oxygen independent photoswitchable agent has shown fewer side effect as well as higher efficiency in destroying tumor cells.
A photoswitch, that activates the agent when irradiated with light of the visible spectrum and inhibits the agent when irradiated with UV light, was attached to the cytotoxic gramicidin S. Gramicidin S is the anti-tumor agent and it was administered to mice in its inactive form. Using light radiation the inactive form can be activated at the location of the tumors, preventing the radical molecule from attacking healthy surrounding cells thus tremendously reducing side effects. Additionally the tests on rodents have also shown greater reduction in tumor size in mice that had photodynamic treatment with oxygen independent agents rather than traditional therapy.
This sounds like a safer way to kill tumors and make sure to get all of it rather than having it surgically removed. Then hopefully prevent the tumor from becoming potentially cancerous. Maybe the next thing would be to find a drug that could be used the same way to kill or prevent the spread of cancerous tumors.
This article is authored by a Vegan named Diana Pena, who is for the production of GMO’s. She writes why she believes that all vegans should support this type of biotechnology. Her main thesis or argument is that she is supporter of the minimization of suffering of living creatures and that the engineering of GMO’s would stop the need to get our resources from those animals. Diana explains that using modern technology scientist are about to create a synthetic gene that will replace those animals that would previously have been killed to retrieve it. The genes would be synthesized from algae. Also, the need for pesticides and yield-preserving traits, the example she gave was Bt, would not have to be used. Less land is be developed and preserving the natural habitats of animals. Diana give a few supporting statistics on other various ways to get the nutrients vegans would need without GMO’s, for example flaxseed. GMO’s could create omega-3, but so could flaxseed. However, to produce the amount of flaxseed the population would need to consume would result in upping the agriculture and destroying more natural habitats. All in all, she does give a convincing argument and for someone that doesn’t have an opinion on genetic modified foods I would more than likely keep her article in mind.
This is an interesting opinion, not one I’d typically expect from a vegan. She states a lot of benefits from GMOs that I have not thought about before. If we can reduce our use of animals in producing our resources, why wouldn’t we?. I didn’t really know much about the benefits and consequences of GMOS, so this was definitely an interesting article to read.
Biometric ‘Brainprint’ Is Now 100 Percent Accurate
APR 25, 2016 04:00 PM ET // BY ALYSSA DANIGELIS
In this article, they describe a new security technology using people’ brainprints instead of their fingerprints. A person’s brainprint is unique even when looking at the same pictures. It would much harder to fake a brainprint because if a person was held at gunpoint or something similar the stress would change their brainwaves. It sounds like interesting technology.
An international research team from 11 institutions across 5 countries was led by transposable elements expert, Dr. Alexander Suh at Uppsala University. Transposable elements are stretches of DNA that have been known to jump from place to place, and can even jump from species to species on rare occasions. Together they discovered that among certain bird genomes, there was a new transposable element. They also found that the only other animal who shares this transposable element was a parasite, commonly known as nematode worms. They compared the DNA sequences of each transposable element and found that in two different waves, the DNA was transferred between nematodes and tropic birds, such as hummingbirds and parrots. This new research shows that the modern human parasite species were once also parasites of birds from at least 25-17 million years ago! (Suh, Fjeldså, Uppsala University).
Uppsala University. “Bird genomes contain ‘fossils’ of parasites that now infect humans.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 April 2016. .
In a lab in Japan, scientists have grown skin tissues that are able to grow hair follicles and produce sweat. This skin was a great improvement because it had three layers of tissue just like normal Human skin tissues, while past synthetic skin has only had two layers. This discovery could have great potential for the future of treatment of burn victims or patients with skin disorders. Scientists took cells from mice’s gums and grew them in the lab Petri dishes, they then treated them with chemicals to transform them into stem cells and form the three layers of synthetic skin. This synthetic skin was then transferred from the petri dishes to mice and observed. These synthetic skin cells were able to merge successfully with nearby nerve cells and muscle tissues in the mice and were not rejected by the mouse’s immune system and in addition the synthetic cells began to function as normal skin cells. Though this has only been synthesized for mouse cell, the Japanese scientists would like to continue their research with human cells and will hopefully be able to apply it to human skin soon. In addition to skin cell scientist are also working to apply this technology to other organs as well.
Fascinating article! Being able to make new skin for victims of severe trauma, like burn victims, is a serious and necessary ability. I hope these researchers will be able to successfully develop this for human use soon, and potentially find ways to create other tissues as well, such as segments of intestines for those who have had to have portions removed.
Scientists at the Liggins Institute of Auckland have started investigating the role of growth hormones in breast cancer. Human growth hormone is secreted from the pituitary gland in the brain. There are two types, endocrine hGH and autocrine hGH. Endocrine hGH levels commonly fluctuate during the day while autocrine hGH has a more constant level in the body at all times and is known to be present in breast tissue. Its normal function is for breast development in puberty but scientists have found increased levels present in breast cancer and benign tumors. Scientists used tissue cultures to study breast cancer cells with different levels of hGH. They found that when autocrine hGH is secreted from breast cancer cells it increased the growth rate and makes cells more invasive. But when exogenous hGH (hGH secreted from the pituitary gland into the bloodstream) does not increase cell growth. Scientists used microarray and PCR to find the difference in which cells were becoming cancerous.
I think that cancer research has come a long way in the last couple years. Seems like this will be a very good method for women to get tested way before the cancer even starts to develop and maybe preventative treatment can eventually be developed for those with elevated levels of hGH.
Professor John Schwab, at the University of Leicester, led a research team on a study to prove that gene expression is controlled by the description of a specific complex. This group of researchers were able to uncover the particular complex, called NuRD. This study further proved that the newly found complex controls the amount of protein created by the cell, better known as gene regulation. The NuRD complex has led this group of researchers to believe that with this complex can further lead them to prove that proteins interact, this overall would lead to improving the chance of unregulated protein expressions. This study also able to give not only a description of the complex but a picture of what it looked like. Professor Schwab led this team of researchers to more thuroly understand how the NuRD complex is created and also how the complex itself cooperates with the proteins that create the genome in a human cell.
For centuries, humans have domesticated animals and used them as livestock. Whether realizing it in ancient times or not, these people were manipulating the genes of their livestock via selective breeding. Having animals with traits and attributes beneficial to humans, mankind took huge strides toward success as a species.
Now, in the twenty first century, we have taken a very interesting step in manipulating the DNA of domesticated cattle to our advantage. We can genetically engineer cows in such a way that the milk they produce will be more suited to the ideal human diet. With the appropriate amount of carbs and protein, the new milk will benefit people in terms of health.
However, several experiments, including ones conducted in China, have led to the deaths of many cows. Such trials have prompted animal rights groups to take action against the genetic engineering of cattle.
However, with more tests and research, scientists may not only prove the new milk is suited to people’s needs, but a better alternative to regular milk.
This article talks about how the Zika virus is still out of hand and how scientists at Oxitec have come up with a way to prevent this from being carried by so many mosquitoes. They have come up with a genetically modified mosquito that would be released and would end up mating with native mosquitoes. The modified mosquitoes would pass on a gene that would make the offspring die before they reach reproductive age. This means there will be fewer with the virus. This method can be used for other diseases as well.
I think this is amazing but if the mosquito population drops too low then it will have adverse effects on the rest of the ecosystem. This method was used on sea lamprey in our own rivers to help reduce the population.
I also share your concern about what impact this sort of thing could have on the ecosystem where mosquitos are concerned because many animals feed on these insects. In the article it said that in some places it reduced the mosquito populations by 90%.
I found an article that discusses the genetic modification of tomatoes. Beginning in 1994 tomatoes have been modified in many different ways in hopes of making the product better for consumers. This article discusses the first attempt made at modifying tomatoes. Scientists shut off a gene in tomatoes called polygalacturonase which causes fruit to soften very rapidly after being picked. Shutting off this gene made it possible for tomatoes to survive during transport, gave the tomatoes a longer shelf life, and also made it so that the tomatoes could remain on the vine longer before being harvested. The genetic modification also raised several concerns such as changing soil quality where the plant was grown, and the plant gaining undesirable qualities. Because of these concerns the production of the GM tomatoes was discontinued.
A team of researchers from Harvard University have made significant modifications to the CRISPR system. They have it made to possible to change single bases of DNA in certain genes. The CRISPR/cas9 gene works to remove and replace mutated DNA sequences of genes. CRISPR is a RNA strand that detects specific sequences of DNA bases. Cas9 is an enzyme that removes that specific DNA sequence. Problems can often occur when the cell is attempting to patch in the new DNA sequence, after cas9 has removed the mutated sequence. These issues typically include either deletion of genetic information or the introduction of new mutations. Harvard scientists have made it possible to directly edit DNA letters versus deleting and adding new sequences. It had a 44 percent success rate in correcting variants found in genes related to Alzheimer’s and breast cancer when the tests were conducted in test tubes, but that dropped to about 7 percent when performed on live cells. An issue that occurred was that the enzyme seemed to only change one strand of DNA, so the mismatch would be corrected erasing any work done by the enzyme. This new technology has years before it will be able to help anyone with genetic disorders, but it is a huge step in the right direction.
Article can be located at:
http://phys.org/news/2016-04-gene-edited-mushroom-gmo-dialogue.html
Gene-edited mushroom is changing GMO dialogue
At Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, an associate professor developed an anti-browning mushroom that would not be subject to USDA approval. He created the mushroom using the CRISPR-Cas9 technique. This is the first CRISPR-Cas9 gene-edited crop that has not been required regulatory review. It does not require USDA regulation because it does not contain DNA from foreign organisms, it is transgene-free due to using the CRISPR-Cas9 tool.There has just been a deletion in a specific gene, no foreign DNA inserted. The result of the non-browning mushroom is a longer shelf life that resists blemishes.
Does this interfere with the discoloration that comes from spoiling? I could see this leading to the types of problems that we have in the meat industry and the misconception that brown meat is spoiled which leads many companies to unnecessarily irradiate their meat to maintain the red color longer.
Article located at:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160413140839.htm
Biochemists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston led a research team to investigate how to improve the body clock and protect it against metabolic syndrome. About 1/3 of adults in the U.S are diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Adults with this issue are at risk for heart disease and other diseases. The research shows that people who have metabolic syndrome have weak body clocks, or circadian clock. This team wanted to search for a small molecule that will enhance the body clock of someone with metabolic syndrome. The team used citrus peels and gave them to mice. The mice that received the compound lost 40% of their excess weight. The drug only works by increasing the activity level and expending energy. There was no impact on the mouse if there was no activity. The research team also found that the receptor of the body clock, Nobiletin, binds to retinoid acid receptor. This drug that the team developed amplifies the metabolic genes to help burn more fuel and store less of it. The drug will increase the metabolism to prevent weight gain even with increased calorie intake. It was only tested on mice and they have yet to test it on humans.
This sounds awesome however I feel that many Americans will over use this drug as a weight loss drug instead of preventing and or trying to reverse metabolic syndrome. I would be one of those Americans that would use this drug as a weight loss drug.
.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/agriculture/geneticmodification/8423536/Genetically-modified-cows-produce-human-milk.html
Using cloning biotechnology the genetically modified cow eggs where inserted into a surrogate cow mother. Theses genetically modified eggs had altered DNA specifically for coding for special proteins such as lysozyme, lactoferrin, alpha-lactalbumin, and other proteins that boost the immune system naturally found in human breast milk. The genetically modified milk has fat content around twenty percent. There are three hundred dairy cows producing “human breast milk”. These cows where made in consideration for baby’s and infants as an alternative from formula. However many people are on edge about giving babies genetically modified milk. We do not know the long-term outcome from this genetically modified milk. Long-term research is needed before we give babies the genetically modified. This milk has been drake by its creators and other willingly taste testers.
However to me my concern about this genetically modified milk is, maybe the mothers’ milk is more beneficial than we think. The off spring of the mother need to survive in the environment the mother is in and has been in. the mother will make specific proteins in her milk from her body adapting to the environment. A woman’s breast milk contains more than seven hundred types of bacteria, this bacteria helps establish the babies immune system. When the mother spends fifteen minutes laughing she creates more melatonin in her breast milk, which then helps the baby relax. Possibly the article genetically modified “breast milk” might not have certain bacteria’s that the mother can provide in which the baby might need. One pro about the genetically modified breast milk is, the baby might have an exposure to different types of bacteria that the mother never had an exposure to. On the contrary this is why much more research is needed!
I found it very interesting that they have created a way to produce a way to not only genetically clone an animal but have it produce milk that is similar to human breast milk. This can be a very useful alternative as you stated to formula but I feel too many people are afraid of the effects it could have on a child’s development using genetically modified breast milk. More research is definitely needed to make a informed decision on the future of this though.
This article explains the process of restoring sight to the blind. It is occurring in Ann Arbor, Michigan and is the first of tests of optogenetics on humans. They are injecting a non harmful DNA virus of photo receptive algae into the eye of 15 patients who are blind. The substance injected into their eyes will give help make the neurons responsive to light. The same protein the algae use to respond to light, channelrhodopsin, is the protein which is being injected into their eyes. Procedures like this is a good start to optogenetics since it doesn’t involve any surgeries or implants. Although this sounds great, there is a drawback in which the light receptive protein will only respond to intense light and not all light. We will just have to wait and see how it is.
I find this post interesting because it caught my attention due to the fact that it took place in ann arbor. I am also stunned to come to realize that people who may never have got to see the light of day still have hope. This post makes me more interested into researching more on this topic to follow up on how the results turned out.
Article: http://news.discovery.com/tech/biotechnology/cities-have-unique-bacterial-fingerprints-160421.htm
After a team of researches collected samples at San Diego, Flagstaff, and Toronto, they determined that cities could be identified based on their bacterial fingerprints. Each site that they tested contained the same carpeting, ceiling tiles, and drywall swatches, so that conditions at each site were similar. Skin, nasal, oral, and fecal microbiome samples were collected from the researches involved in the study, as well as the office workers. The researches were able to determine that regardless of location (city), floors were generally the ‘dirtiest,’ or densely inhabited by bacterial communities. Next, the researchers used a support vector machine (computer model) to determine which city the samples came from (using microbes.) Their computer model was able to predict the city in which the samples originated from with 85% accuracy. This meant that cities have their own unique microbiomes.
This is an awesome find, although not surprising! Think about different viruses/bacteria that are more prevalent in certain areas of the world. This is why soil samples can often be taken and analyzed, because, not only is the material that makes up the dirt different but the different microbes are as well.
This is a really cool article! It was interesting to know that cities themselves can have their own fingerprints. It just goes to show you that earth is an amazing planet.
This was an interesting read. It is not surprising though. The workers weren’t confined to the offices. They had to leave to get lunch and go home. i assume they wouldn’t fly from major city to major city. The bacteria that is in New York would have a hard time getting to LA. If it got to another city it would eventually change to survive the environment. It would be more like the bacteria in the new city.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/07/19/biotech-firm-may-change-cancer-treatment-early-testing/30395039/
Biotechnology company Genome Profiling (GenPro) is on the verge of gaining the technology to diagnose specific cancers early, before even the first symptoms appear. This will allow for the correct treatment for the correct time spans for patients. Jeb Connor and Adam Marsh of GenPro are developing the technology to read genetic materials and be able to tell what is being read incorrectly by the body, for example when an epigenome’s marks are being interpreted incorrectly and cells continue to grow resulting in a tumor.
This is interesting to me, i think this is a great thing however who all would this be available to based on pricing. I did however watch a show based on this study and a family had all gotten genetic tests to see what types of disease and disorders they could get and they looked at family history to see what would be common. On the bright side when they got their results back the tests claimed to have shown they would not be getting breast cancer.
For years, Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) was used to dust corn crops. It’s function being that it would neutralize and kill insects. By producting a protein that was toxic to insects, particualry the European Corn Borer. To combat this problem and reduce the need for dusting, scientists developed the first ever transgenic corn, expressing the BT protein, which was then followed by the BT potato and cotton. Because the BT protein is not toxic to humans, this allowed farmers to avoid expensive losses due to infestations in their crops.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160422091939.htm
Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in collaboration with the University of Kiev have developed an anti-tumor agent that is photoswitchable and oxygen independent. Oxygen dependence of the photoswitchable anti-tumor agents was the reason prior photodynamic therapies resulted in excessive side effect and only slight changes in tumor growth. Since cancerous cells grow rapidly and divide at a high rate, oxygen levels in these cells is very low and previous agents were not very effective and affected surrounding healthy cells with normal oxygen levels. The development of an oxygen independent photoswitchable agent has shown fewer side effect as well as higher efficiency in destroying tumor cells.
A photoswitch, that activates the agent when irradiated with light of the visible spectrum and inhibits the agent when irradiated with UV light, was attached to the cytotoxic gramicidin S. Gramicidin S is the anti-tumor agent and it was administered to mice in its inactive form. Using light radiation the inactive form can be activated at the location of the tumors, preventing the radical molecule from attacking healthy surrounding cells thus tremendously reducing side effects. Additionally the tests on rodents have also shown greater reduction in tumor size in mice that had photodynamic treatment with oxygen independent agents rather than traditional therapy.
This sounds like a safer way to kill tumors and make sure to get all of it rather than having it surgically removed. Then hopefully prevent the tumor from becoming potentially cancerous. Maybe the next thing would be to find a drug that could be used the same way to kill or prevent the spread of cancerous tumors.
https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2016/04/20/vegan-manifesto-support-gmo-foods-biotechnology-research/
This article is authored by a Vegan named Diana Pena, who is for the production of GMO’s. She writes why she believes that all vegans should support this type of biotechnology. Her main thesis or argument is that she is supporter of the minimization of suffering of living creatures and that the engineering of GMO’s would stop the need to get our resources from those animals. Diana explains that using modern technology scientist are about to create a synthetic gene that will replace those animals that would previously have been killed to retrieve it. The genes would be synthesized from algae. Also, the need for pesticides and yield-preserving traits, the example she gave was Bt, would not have to be used. Less land is be developed and preserving the natural habitats of animals. Diana give a few supporting statistics on other various ways to get the nutrients vegans would need without GMO’s, for example flaxseed. GMO’s could create omega-3, but so could flaxseed. However, to produce the amount of flaxseed the population would need to consume would result in upping the agriculture and destroying more natural habitats. All in all, she does give a convincing argument and for someone that doesn’t have an opinion on genetic modified foods I would more than likely keep her article in mind.
This is an interesting opinion, not one I’d typically expect from a vegan. She states a lot of benefits from GMOs that I have not thought about before. If we can reduce our use of animals in producing our resources, why wouldn’t we?. I didn’t really know much about the benefits and consequences of GMOS, so this was definitely an interesting article to read.
http://news.discovery.com/tech/biotechnology/biometric-brainprint-is-now-100-percent-accurate-160425.htm
Biometric ‘Brainprint’ Is Now 100 Percent Accurate
APR 25, 2016 04:00 PM ET // BY ALYSSA DANIGELIS
In this article, they describe a new security technology using people’ brainprints instead of their fingerprints. A person’s brainprint is unique even when looking at the same pictures. It would much harder to fake a brainprint because if a person was held at gunpoint or something similar the stress would change their brainwaves. It sounds like interesting technology.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160421085205.htm
An international research team from 11 institutions across 5 countries was led by transposable elements expert, Dr. Alexander Suh at Uppsala University. Transposable elements are stretches of DNA that have been known to jump from place to place, and can even jump from species to species on rare occasions. Together they discovered that among certain bird genomes, there was a new transposable element. They also found that the only other animal who shares this transposable element was a parasite, commonly known as nematode worms. They compared the DNA sequences of each transposable element and found that in two different waves, the DNA was transferred between nematodes and tropic birds, such as hummingbirds and parrots. This new research shows that the modern human parasite species were once also parasites of birds from at least 25-17 million years ago! (Suh, Fjeldså, Uppsala University).
Uppsala University. “Bird genomes contain ‘fossils’ of parasites that now infect humans.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 April 2016. .
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lab-grown-skin-sprouts-hair-and-sweats1/
In a lab in Japan, scientists have grown skin tissues that are able to grow hair follicles and produce sweat. This skin was a great improvement because it had three layers of tissue just like normal Human skin tissues, while past synthetic skin has only had two layers. This discovery could have great potential for the future of treatment of burn victims or patients with skin disorders. Scientists took cells from mice’s gums and grew them in the lab Petri dishes, they then treated them with chemicals to transform them into stem cells and form the three layers of synthetic skin. This synthetic skin was then transferred from the petri dishes to mice and observed. These synthetic skin cells were able to merge successfully with nearby nerve cells and muscle tissues in the mice and were not rejected by the mouse’s immune system and in addition the synthetic cells began to function as normal skin cells. Though this has only been synthesized for mouse cell, the Japanese scientists would like to continue their research with human cells and will hopefully be able to apply it to human skin soon. In addition to skin cell scientist are also working to apply this technology to other organs as well.
Fascinating article! Being able to make new skin for victims of severe trauma, like burn victims, is a serious and necessary ability. I hope these researchers will be able to successfully develop this for human use soon, and potentially find ways to create other tissues as well, such as segments of intestines for those who have had to have portions removed.
http://lens.auckland.ac.nz/images/7/74/Breast_Cancer_and_Biotechnology.pdf
Scientists at the Liggins Institute of Auckland have started investigating the role of growth hormones in breast cancer. Human growth hormone is secreted from the pituitary gland in the brain. There are two types, endocrine hGH and autocrine hGH. Endocrine hGH levels commonly fluctuate during the day while autocrine hGH has a more constant level in the body at all times and is known to be present in breast tissue. Its normal function is for breast development in puberty but scientists have found increased levels present in breast cancer and benign tumors. Scientists used tissue cultures to study breast cancer cells with different levels of hGH. They found that when autocrine hGH is secreted from breast cancer cells it increased the growth rate and makes cells more invasive. But when exogenous hGH (hGH secreted from the pituitary gland into the bloodstream) does not increase cell growth. Scientists used microarray and PCR to find the difference in which cells were becoming cancerous.
I think that cancer research has come a long way in the last couple years. Seems like this will be a very good method for women to get tested way before the cancer even starts to develop and maybe preventative treatment can eventually be developed for those with elevated levels of hGH.
Professor John Schwab, at the University of Leicester, led a research team on a study to prove that gene expression is controlled by the description of a specific complex. This group of researchers were able to uncover the particular complex, called NuRD. This study further proved that the newly found complex controls the amount of protein created by the cell, better known as gene regulation. The NuRD complex has led this group of researchers to believe that with this complex can further lead them to prove that proteins interact, this overall would lead to improving the chance of unregulated protein expressions. This study also able to give not only a description of the complex but a picture of what it looked like. Professor Schwab led this team of researchers to more thuroly understand how the NuRD complex is created and also how the complex itself cooperates with the proteins that create the genome in a human cell.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/agriculture/geneticmodification/8423536/Genetically-modified-cows-produce-human-milk.html
For centuries, humans have domesticated animals and used them as livestock. Whether realizing it in ancient times or not, these people were manipulating the genes of their livestock via selective breeding. Having animals with traits and attributes beneficial to humans, mankind took huge strides toward success as a species.
Now, in the twenty first century, we have taken a very interesting step in manipulating the DNA of domesticated cattle to our advantage. We can genetically engineer cows in such a way that the milk they produce will be more suited to the ideal human diet. With the appropriate amount of carbs and protein, the new milk will benefit people in terms of health.
However, several experiments, including ones conducted in China, have led to the deaths of many cows. Such trials have prompted animal rights groups to take action against the genetic engineering of cattle.
However, with more tests and research, scientists may not only prove the new milk is suited to people’s needs, but a better alternative to regular milk.
http://news.discovery.com/tech/biotechnology/gene-hacked-mosquitos-could-fight-zika-virus-160129.htm
This article talks about how the Zika virus is still out of hand and how scientists at Oxitec have come up with a way to prevent this from being carried by so many mosquitoes. They have come up with a genetically modified mosquito that would be released and would end up mating with native mosquitoes. The modified mosquitoes would pass on a gene that would make the offspring die before they reach reproductive age. This means there will be fewer with the virus. This method can be used for other diseases as well.
I think this is amazing but if the mosquito population drops too low then it will have adverse effects on the rest of the ecosystem. This method was used on sea lamprey in our own rivers to help reduce the population.
I also share your concern about what impact this sort of thing could have on the ecosystem where mosquitos are concerned because many animals feed on these insects. In the article it said that in some places it reduced the mosquito populations by 90%.
http://www.brighthub.com/environment/green-living/articles/69993.aspx
I found an article that discusses the genetic modification of tomatoes. Beginning in 1994 tomatoes have been modified in many different ways in hopes of making the product better for consumers. This article discusses the first attempt made at modifying tomatoes. Scientists shut off a gene in tomatoes called polygalacturonase which causes fruit to soften very rapidly after being picked. Shutting off this gene made it possible for tomatoes to survive during transport, gave the tomatoes a longer shelf life, and also made it so that the tomatoes could remain on the vine longer before being harvested. The genetic modification also raised several concerns such as changing soil quality where the plant was grown, and the plant gaining undesirable qualities. Because of these concerns the production of the GM tomatoes was discontinued.
It amazes me how fast fruit goes bad. The fact that you can stop a gene to make it last longer is just awesome.
A team of researchers from Harvard University have made significant modifications to the CRISPR system. They have it made to possible to change single bases of DNA in certain genes. The CRISPR/cas9 gene works to remove and replace mutated DNA sequences of genes. CRISPR is a RNA strand that detects specific sequences of DNA bases. Cas9 is an enzyme that removes that specific DNA sequence. Problems can often occur when the cell is attempting to patch in the new DNA sequence, after cas9 has removed the mutated sequence. These issues typically include either deletion of genetic information or the introduction of new mutations. Harvard scientists have made it possible to directly edit DNA letters versus deleting and adding new sequences. It had a 44 percent success rate in correcting variants found in genes related to Alzheimer’s and breast cancer when the tests were conducted in test tubes, but that dropped to about 7 percent when performed on live cells. An issue that occurred was that the enzyme seemed to only change one strand of DNA, so the mismatch would be corrected erasing any work done by the enzyme. This new technology has years before it will be able to help anyone with genetic disorders, but it is a huge step in the right direction.