COVER STORY: The epigenetic clock uses DNA methylation to calculate the metric of “epigenetic age”. Epigenetic age acceleration (epigenetic > chronological age) has been repeatedly linked to pediatric asthma and allergic disease, demonstrating its potential as a diagnostic biomarker. However, questions remain about the accuracy and utility of epigenetic clocks in children.
This review by researchers at University of British Columbia examines the most used current epigenetic clocks and details the associations between epigenetic age acceleration and asthma/allergic disease. They explore the potential of the epigenetic clock as a biomarker for asthma and discuss the need for a pediatric epigenetic clock that is accurate in blood samples in order to maximize the utility of this powerful tool.
In a new study, Abudayyeh and Gootenberg led a team of scientists on a quest to identify and characterize Fanzor enyzmes in large-scale genetic databases. Their genetic mining venture, published in Science Advances, outlines the discovery of over 3,600 Fanzors in eukaryotes, including algae, snails, amoebas and the viruses that infect them.
Fanzors evolved new features to survive and thrive in eukaryotes
Five distinct families of Fanzors could be identified from the study data. By comparing the biological makeup of these families, Abudayyeh and colleagues could track their evolutionary history. Fanzors most likely evolved from proteins called TnpB, which are encoded in transposons – mobile genetic elements often nicknamed “jumping genes”. In Nature, the McGovern team hypothesized that the TnpB gene may have “jumped” from bacteria to eukaryotes in a genetic “shuffling” many years ago. Abudayyeh and Gootenburg’s new study and genetic tracing implies that this event likely occurred several times, with Fanzors “jumping” from viruses and symbiotic bacteria. Their analyses also suggest that once these genes had made their way into eukaryotes, they evolved new features that promoted their survival, including the ability to enter a cell’s nucleus and access its DNA.
Scientists have successfully gene-edited chickens to make them partially resistant to the bird flu and believe full immunity may be within reach.
Scientists from the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute have successfully gene-edited chickens to make them partially resistant to the bird flu but experts argue that only full immunity can see the danger of the virus eradicated.
This is according to a report by BBC News published this week.
Influenza A viruses, which are responsible for causing bird flu, can be divided into many subtypes based on the surface proteins hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). While certain bird flu subtypes are less dangerous, others are more virulent and capable of causing serious illness.
A drug that boosts strength in injured or aging mice restores connections between nerves and muscle and suggests ways to combat weakness in humans due to aging, injury or disease.
Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of collective intelligence, programmable biology, and the future of learning with renowned TED speaker and Harvard’s Wyss Institute Associate Faculty, Michael Levin. As the director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University and co-director of the Institute for Computer-Designed Organisms, Levin stands at the forefront of biological research and innovation.
In this enlightening interview, we explore the potentials and pitfalls of rewriting our DNA to gain superhuman abilities – imagine being able to breathe underwater or see in infrared! We also address the nuances of academic publishing and the urgent need for more collaborative approaches within scientific disciplines.
This discussion is part of our ongoing series to understand and develop methodologies for collective and collaborative intelligence. The goal? To design more efficient and inclusive collaborative learning networks through our innovative methodology, Unify.
Tune in to learn more about the transformative power of biology, the future of academic collaboration, and the exciting potential of our Unify methodology. Whether you’re a biologist, an educator, a futurist, or simply curious about the potential of human biology, you won’t want to miss this interview.
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I want to tell you about one thing that came up in our conversation: efforts to, in some way, monitor encrypted messages.
Policy proposals have been popping up around the world (like in Australia, India, and, most recently, the UK) that call for tech companies to build in ways to gain information about encrypted messages, including through back-door access. There have also been efforts to increase moderation and safety on encrypted messaging apps, like Signal and Telegram, to try to prevent the spread of abusive content, like child sexual abuse material, criminal networking, and drug trafficking.
Not surprisingly, advocates for encryption are generally opposed to these sorts of proposals as they weaken the level of user privacy that’s currently guaranteed by end-to-end encryption.
In today’s world, there is much to be admired in someone who refuses to make a profit out of a good idea for the greater good. David Edquilang invented a new type of finger prosthesis called Lunet that has earned him awards around the world but he plans on making the design open access to benefit those who need it most.
Helping the greatest number of people
“Not every good idea needs to be turned into a business. Sometimes, the best ideas just need to be put out there,” said Edquilang in a statement issued by his university. “Medical insurance will often not cover the cost of a finger prosthesis, since it is not considered vital enough compared to an arm or leg. Making Lunet available online for free will allow it to help the greatest number of people.”
Actor Suzanne Somers has died at the age of 76 after being diagnosed with breast cancer more than two decades ago, which ultimately was her cause of death.
Somers was best known for her roles in the hit sitcoms “Three’s Company” and “Step by Step,” and later in life for her health and fitness business ventures.
Somers died “peacefully at home” surrounded by her family on Oct. 15, one day before her 77th birthday, according to a statement to NBC News from Somers’ publicist on behalf of her family.
Nanozymes are synthetic materials that mimic the properties of natural enzymes for applications in biomedicine and chemical engineering. Historically, they are generally considered too toxic and expensive for use in agriculture and food science. Now, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a nanozyme that is organic, non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and cost effective.
In a newly published paper, they describe its features and its capacity to detect the presence of glyphosate, a common agricultural herbicide. Their goal is to eventually create an user-friendly test kit for consumers and agricultural producers.
“The word nanozyme is derived from nanomaterial and enzyme. Nanozymes were first developed about 15 years ago, when researchers found that iron oxide nanoparticles may perform catalytic activity similar to natural enzymes (peroxidase),” explained Dong Hoon Lee, a doctoral student in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE), part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) and The Grainger College of Engineering at U. of I.
If you want optimism about life extension, here is Bill Faloon at RAADFest with the latest.
Bill Faloon gave the keynote presentation at the RAADfest conference in September 2023. In his talk, he discussed many of the advances in longevity research over the past year and described the main barrier to faster advances in regenerative medicine.
