Category Archives: Genetic Engineering

The Genetic Engineering of Humans by Taylor Davidson. By: STS1 2015 Student Media Productions … Continue reading →

IMAGE:Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online with Open Access options and in print that explores the psychological and social issues surrounding... view more Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers New Rochelle, NY, March 11, 2015--Social network sites such as Facebook play an important role in maintaining relationships, including romantic relationships, whether individuals are involved in a geographically close or long-distance romantic relationship. A new study that compares the relative importance of social networks and explores the role they play in helping to maintain a close-by versus a long-distance romantic relationship is published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website until April 11, 2015. In the article "The Use of Social Network Sites for Relationship Maintenance in Long-Distance and Geographically-Close Romantic Relationships," coauthors Cherrie Joy Billedo, Peter Kerkhof, and Catrin Finkenauer, VU University Amsterdam and University of the Philippines, describe differences in the intensity of use and the types of uses of social network sites between the two groups studied. They report how use of social network sites allows individuals to access information … Continue reading →

IMAGE:This is a figure depicting four regulatory models for genome-edited crops. view more Credit: Araki, M. and Ishii, T./Trends in Plant Science 2015 A survey of rice, wheat, barley, fruit, and vegetable crops found that most mutants created by advanced genetic engineering techniques may be out of the scope of current genetically modified organism (GMO) regulations. In a review of these findings, published in the February 25 issue of the Cell Press journal Trends in Plant Science, two bioethicists from Hokkaido University propose new regulatory models for genome-edited crops and declare a call to action for clarifying the social issues associated with such genetically engineered crops. "Modern genome editing technology has allowed for far more efficient gene modification, potentially impacting future agriculture," says Tetsuya Ishii, PhD, of Hokkaido University's Office of Health and Safety. "However, genome editing raises a regulatory issue by creating indistinct boundaries in GMO regulations because the advanced genetic engineering can, without introducing new genetic material, make a gene modification which is similar to a naturally occurring mutation." Under current regulations, a GMO is a living organism that has been altered by a novel combination of genetic material, including the introduction of a transgene. Advanced genetic engineering … Continue reading →

IMAGE:Light-activated genetic manipulation is demonstrated by shining light through a stencil to turn on fluorescent genes in cells. view more Credit: Charles Gersbach, Duke University DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University researchers have devised a method to activate genes in any specific location or pattern in a lab dish with the flip of a light switch by crossing a bacterium's viral defense system with a flower's response to sunlight. With the ability to use light to activate genes in specific locations, researchers can better study genes' functions, create complex systems for growing tissue, and perhaps eventually realize science-fiction-like healing technologies. The study was led by Charles Gersbach, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Duke University, and published on February 9 in Nature Chemical Biology. "This technology should allow a scientist to pick any gene on any chromosome and turn it on or off with light, which has the potential to transform what can be done with genetic engineering" said Lauren Polstein, a Duke PhD student and lead author on the work. "The advantage of doing this with light is we can quickly and easily control when the gene gets turned on or off and the level to which it is activated … Continue reading →

IMAGE:Soft Robotics, a peer-reviewed journal published quarterly online with Open Access options and in print, combines advances in biomedical engineering, biomechanics, mathematical modeling, biopolymer chemistry, computer science, and tissue engineering... view more Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers New Rochelle, NY, March 9, 2015-- A novel, fully untethered soft robot capable of repeated jumping is able to cover half a meter in a single hop-and-roll motion. The innovative design of this combustion-powered robot, based on a roly-poly toy, and how it returns to an upright position after each jump are described in a fascinating study published in Soft Robotics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the Soft Robotics website. In the article "An Untethered, Jumping Roly-Poly Soft Robot Driven by Combustion", Michael Loepfe, Christoph Schumacher, Urs Lustenberger, and Wendelin Stark, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering (Zurich, Switzerland), describe a soft robot powered by a mixture of nitrous oxide/propane/butane gas that can function even over rough terrain. The authors provide a detailed description of the activity of the robot and suggest future advances that could improve the jumping ability and performance of the robot. "Although this robot is a hybrid of soft and … Continue reading →

How does genetic engineering affect us? Snow day lesson on GE. By: Tricia Johnson … Continue reading →

Genetic Engineering: Cloning Please enjoy my super cool biology project. That rat (and the goat I briefly mentioned) isn't a clone, but it's glowing. Anything that glows is chill with me. Works Cited (again) "Animal... By: Cocowood Stables … Continue reading →

Science: Genetic Engineering My very first animation and video-- Created using PowToon -- Free sign up at http://www.powtoon.com/join -- Create animated videos and animated presentations... By: xXXT.H. #MLG TRICKSTABXXx … Continue reading →

Let's Play The Repopulation - Episode 5 - Genetic Engineering We play The Repopulation and venture into the wide world of Genetic Engineering. We kill, we collect DNA, we make biomass! Join me (Tigwyk) as we slowly work... By: Let's Play The Repopulation … Continue reading →

Let's Play The Repopulation - Episode 6 - More Genetic Engineering I (Tigwyk) actually manage to clone two different animals and demo the process of crafting "Man's Best Friend". Stay tuned for more gameplay videos! This vid... By: Let's Play The Repopulation … Continue reading →