Researchers repurpose the CRISPR machinery to turn whole classes of transposable elements on or off. ransposable elements, including remnants of viral DNA retained in the genome for millions of years, make up a substantial fraction of mammalian genomes, and their effects on gene expression are thought to have driven speciation. However, while there is anecdotal … More Taming the Transposon Hordes

Recent research has shown that rising carbon dioxide levels will likely boost yields, but at the cost of nutrition. A new studysuggests that this is an incomplete picture of the complex environmental interactions that will affect crops in the future — and rising temperatures may actually benefit nutrition but at the expense of lower yields. … More Rising temperatures may safeguard crop nutrition as climate changes

Researchers decipher one of the body’s brain regeneration mechanisms Diseases such as multiple sclerosis are characterized by damage to the ‘myelin sheath’, a protective covering wrapped around nerve cells akin to insulation around an electrical wire. Researchers have discovered how the body initiates repair mechanisms which will limit the extent of any damage to this … More Multiple sclerosis: Helping cells to help themselves