Wide Angle: Genetic Science

Discovery Tech explores manipulating genes for our own good.
 

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The code for how humans function is in our chromosomes.
 

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Not only has the human genome been sequenced, but so too have the genomes of many animals and crops. The sequences represent a genetic blue print of how these organisms function and how they might be repaired when they don't function. In this Wide Angle on Genetic Science, we'll look at the myriad ways, whys and hows researchers are modifying the genes of various life-forms in order to treat disease, modify crops, clone animals and repair tissue.

  • Puzzle: Synthetic Biology
    Scientists are using genetics to design, or redesign, molecules that perform in specific ways. Solve the puzzles they bioengineer.

  • Podcast: Virus-Resistant Grapevines
    Researchers are growing grapevines that produce antibodies against crop-ruining viruses. Coming soon.

NEWS

  • News: Genetic Science Hub
    From treating disease to repairing tissue to enhancing crops, technology used to modify genes can have a positive impact on medicine and other aspects of our lives. Read the latest Discovery News stories digging into genetic science.

  • News: Virus-Like Particle Protects Against Flu
    A vaccine made from a virus-like particle elicited a protective immune responses against seasonal influenza strains in mice and ferrets.Coming soon.

  • News: Bacteria Engineered to Trace Faces, Images
    Engineered E. coli bacteria can now trace the outline of an image on an agar plate in a feat that shows how manipulating small organisms could lead to synthetic biological devices useful to technology and medicine.

TOP 10s

  • Top 10: Eccentric Transgenic Animals
    Scientists create so-called transgenic animals to investigate disease treatments, produce natural material and expand scientific knowledge.

  • Top 10: Promising Gene Therapies
    Medical researchers are working on genetic therapies that may mend genetic disorders, cure disease or kill cancer. Here are the top 10 therapies that show the most promise to help the most people.

  • Top 10: Genetic Tests
    Genetic tests cover the whole spectrum of human life, from before conception to old age, and can help detect and diagnose everything from rare genetic disorders such as Huntington's disease to more common ailments like breast cancer and Down syndrome.

BLOGS

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