Can we really resurrect extinct animals, or are we just creating hi-tech lookalikes?

Are new approaches to recreating long-lost animals simply creating imitations?

Timothy Hearn, Senior Lecturer in Bioinformatics, Anglia Ruskin University • conversation
April 10, 2025 • ~9 min

Mice with woolly mammoth traits could pave the way for the resurrection of an ice age giant

The “woolly mice” have the thick, shaggy hair of mammoths, along with a fat metabolism gene.

Timothy Hearn, Senior Lecturer in Bioinformatics, Anglia Ruskin University • conversation
March 5, 2025 • ~5 min

Plants get a GMO glow-up: Genetically modified varieties are coming out of the lab and into homes and gardens

Lose the prickles. Add bioluminescence. Up the nutrients without the bitter flavor. CRISPR gene editing is opening a new world of genetically modified plants for home growers.

James W. Satterlee, Postdoctoral Fellow in Plant Genetics, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory • conversation
Sept. 16, 2024 • ~6 min

AI plus gene editing promises to shift biotech into high gear

AI has learned the ins and outs of proteins. Gene editing gives scientists control of life’s molecular machinery. Together they could lead to a revolution in biotechnology.

Marc Zimmer, Professor of Chemistry, Connecticut College • conversation
June 6, 2024 • ~8 min

CRISPR and other new technologies open doors for drug development, but which diseases get prioritized? It comes down to money and science

Drug development takes a great deal of time, money and effort. While future profits play a big factor in which diseases gets prioritized, advocacy and research incentives can also tilt the scale.

C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut • conversation
Dec. 14, 2023 • ~10 min

Human genome editing offers tantalizing possibilities – but without clear guidelines, many ethical questions still remain

Following the controversial births of the first gene-edited babies, a major focus of the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing was responsible use of CRISPR.

Gary Skuse, Professor of Bioinformatics, Rochester Institute of Technology • conversation
March 8, 2023 • ~8 min

Did He Jiankui 'Make People Better'? Documentary spurs a new look at the case of the first gene-edited babies

Scientific and public uproar resulted when the Chinese scientist announced the births of the first human babies with heritable edits to their genes. A new documentary reexamines the saga.

G. Owen Schaefer, Assistant Professor in Biomedical Ethics, National University of Singapore • conversation
Dec. 20, 2022 • ~11 min

Y chromosome loss through aging can lead to an increased risk of heart failure and death from cardiovascular disease, new research finds

The negative health effects of Y chromosome loss could be one potential reason women tend to live longer than men.

Kenneth Walsh, Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Virginia • conversation
July 14, 2022 • ~5 min

'Jurassic World' scientists still haven't learned that just because you can doesn't mean you should – real-world genetic engineers can learn from the cautionary tale

As genetic engineering and DNA manipulation tools like CRISPR continue to advance, the distinction between what science ‘could’ and ‘should’ do becomes murkier.

Andrew Maynard, Professor of Responsible Innovation, Arizona State University • conversation
June 9, 2022 • ~11 min

Genetic GPS system of animal development explains why limbs grow from torsos and not heads

Hox genes make sure all your body parts grow in the right place. Understanding how they work can reveal the process of evolution and lead to potential treatments for congenital birth defects.

Ethan Bier, Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego • conversation
Nov. 10, 2021 • ~10 min

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