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SCIENTISTS RESTRICTING THEIR OWN RESEARCH: THE HISTORICAL ASILOMAR MEETING
Forty years ago, at the birth of gene-editing technology, 140 brilliant scientists from all over the world met at Asilomar to discuss its usage. Now that they could join pieces of DNA in artificial ways, what should they do with it? What are the experiments they need to answer relevant questions? And more importantly, are those experiments safe and responsible? After 3 long days of intense discussion, scientists showed the public that they could self-regulate and set a precedent for scientific regulation.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD AND YOU!
Genetic modification has allowed us to make better crops and food, yet the majority of the public is skeptical of the safety and quality of genetically modified food. Are these opinions founded, or can we mass dispel the myths surrounding these new efficient crops?
CIRCULAR RNAS…WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND
In the biological world, we see that many things come in different shapes and sizes: animals, plants, microbes, and proteins. It turns out that even RNA falls into that category. In this article, we will explore what circular RNAs are, the history of their discovery, and why we should care about them.
THE RNA WORLD: HOW ALL OF LIFE (MAYBE) BEGAN
Before there were chickens or eggs, there were RNA molecules that gained the ability to duplicate themselves. How did these molecules manage to do this outside of cells on the early earth, and how did this lead to life as we know it?