Whether or not life exists elsewhere in the Universe, we can be assured of one thing: We are the only human beings in the cosmos.
A team of geneticists and systems biologists at Stanford University has associated 169 genes that with the production of melanin in the skin, hair and eyes. In their study, reported in the journal Science, the group conducted a flow cytometry analysis and genome-wide CRISPR screen of cell samples.
Prior research has shown that the production and distribution of melanin in the body is responsible for skin tone, hair color and eye pigmentation. Such characteristics are important for more than appearance’s sake; skin with more melanin, for example, is better able to protect against ultraviolet radiation. In this new effort, the researchers noted that while many of the genes responsible for melanin production have been identified, many more have not.
The researchers began with an effort to differentiate high and low melanin melanocytes—the cells that make melanin. They used the light-reflecting properties of melanin to sort cells in a lab dish by aiming a fluorescent lamp at them. Once they had the cells sorted, they edited them using CRISPR-Cas9. Genes were systematically mutated to switch them off and then tested to see how well the cell continued to produce melanin.
India’s moon rover is now also on the moon, moving around and leaving its imprint on the soil, said a senior official of the Indian space agency.
“The rover rolled down onto the moon surface from the lander sometime around 12.30 a.m. Thursday. It is moving around. It is leaving its imprint on the moon’s surface,” Dr. S. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) told IANS.
The logo of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the national emblem have been engraved on the wheels of the rover to leave the imprint when it moves around.
Scientists have created one of the most detailed 3D images of the synapse.
A synapse is a specialized junction between nerve cells that allows for the transfer of electrical or chemical signals, through the release of neurotransmitters by the presynaptic neuron and the binding of receptors on the postsynaptic neuron. It plays a key role in communication between neurons and in various physiological processes including perception, movement, and memory.
The stunning experiment, which reconstructs the properties of entangled photons from a 2D interference pattern, could be used to design faster quantum computers.
A map of all chemicals that places compounds with similar properties next to each other could speed up the process of discovery for everything from drugs to materials.
Zoom CEO Eric Yuan reportedly aired out his grievances about the product he founded, during a company meeting.
Elon Musk reminded workers that defects on the Cybertruck “shows up like a sore thumb” and demanded tolerances in the “single digit microns.”