Genetics
Analysis and insight on the advancements in genetics. Stay updated as Singularity Hub discusses the most important trends in genetics research.
Should We Edit Human Genes? What You Need to Know
There’s a difference between editing genes in a person’s somatic cells and germline cells.
Editing somatic cells, which are differentiated (e.g., skin cells) and non-reproductive, impacts them alone. In contrast, editing germline DNA means changes...
FDA Breaks New Ground With First Approved Gene Therapy for Cancer
When oncologist Dr. Carl June heard the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to bring the first gene therapy to market in the US, he pinched himself, hard.
“It was so improbable that this would ever...
Controversial Study Predicts What People Look Like From Their DNA
As the cost of sequencing DNA goes down more and more, people's genome data is being collected for research and personalized medicine. This data is often anonymized by decoupling it from other identifying information,...
Do We Have the Right to Edit the Genes of an Entire Species?
Scientists can now more cheaply and efficiently edit animal and human DNA using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system. But should we edit species, and if so, to what extent?
An interesting way to consider this question...
Tech-X-Planations | Introducing a New Original Weekly Video Series
We’ve all name-dropped a new technology that sounds awesome—like CRISPR/Cas9—without really knowing the basics.
This is why we’ve created Tech-x-planations, Singularity Hub’s new weekly video series that explores fundamental ideas in science, technology, and the...
Gene Editing in Human Embryos Leaps Forward—Here’s the Science
Imagine walking down the street with a ticking time bomb in your chest, never knowing when your heart may explode.
Or going through five decades of life, having kids, and always wondering when your mind...
Biocomputers Made From Cells Can Now Handle More Complex Logic
When it comes to biomolecules, RNA doesn’t get a lot of love.
Maybe you haven’t even heard of the silent workhorse. RNA is the cell’s de facto translator: like a game of telephone, RNA takes...
3 Exponentials to Watch | Future of Everything With Jason Silva (Part 3)
In the third of Singularity University's Future of Everything YouTube series with Jason Silva, Silva discusses "The Big Three" exponential technologies, which he defines as GNR: genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics.
"If I were to be talking...
The Era of Human Gene Editing Is Here—What Happens Next Is Critical
Scientists in Portland, Ore., just succeeded in creating the first genetically modified human embryo in the United States, according to Technology Review. A team led by Shoukhrat Mitalipov of Oregon Health & Science University is reported to “have...
New Film ‘Food Evolution’ Takes on One of the Most Polarizing Scientific Topics
One Tuesday morning, as his family bustled around the house getting ready for the day, Scott Hamilton Kennedy’s phone lit up with a text message from his neighbor. “Can I borrow some organic milk?”...
A Living Hard Drive: This GIF Was Stored in the DNA of Bacteria
DNA is a hugely promising medium for storing data. Consider that a cell nucleus can hold the instructions for an organism as complex as a human. So far efforts to store non-genetic data in...
‘Biological Teleportation’ Edges Closer With Craig Venter’s Digital-to-Biological Converter
The year is 2030. In a high-security containment lab, scientists gathered around a towering machine, eagerly awaiting the first look at a newly discovered bacterium on Mars.
With a series of beeps, the machine—a digital-to-biological...
