Daily Archives: May 29, 2020

Is there now a way to genetically engineer crops to create food that people can confidently consider natural?

Gene-editing technology sounds like it might offer this possibility. By altering an organisms genetic material, or genome, without introducing genes from other species, advocates of genome editing argue the technique can sidestep most of the difficult ethical and regulatory challenges plaguing organisms with added transgenes, which are genes from other species. Some even argue these cisgenic products are natural enough to count as organic.

As ethicists specializing in how technology alters human-nature relations, we can understand why advocates see the ethics this way. If crossing species lines is the measure of whether a technique counts as natural or not, then genome editing appears to have the potential to pass a naturalness test.

Genome editing, its boosters say, can make changes that look almost evolutionary. Arguably, these changes could have happened by themselves through the natural course of events, if anyone had the patience to wait for them. Conventional breeding for potatoes resistant to late blight is theoretically possible, for example, but it would take a lot of time.

Although we understand the potential advantages of speed, we dont think an ethics hinging on the idea of cisgenesis is adequate. We propose a better ethical lens to use in its place.

Our work is part of a four-year projectfunded by the Norwegian Research Council scrutinizing how gene editing could change how we think about food. The work brings together researchers from universities and scientific institutes in Norway, the U.K. and the U.S. to compare a range of techniques for producing useful new crops.

Our project is not focused on the safety of the crops under development, something that obviously requires concerted scientific investigation of its own. Although the safety of humans and the health of the environment is ethically crucial when developing new foods, other ethical issues must also be considered.

To see this, consider how objections against genetically modified organisms go far beyond safety. Ethical issues around food sovereignty range broadly across farmer choice, excess corporate power, economic security and other concerns. Ethical acceptability requires a much higher bar than safety alone.

Although we believe gene editing may have promise for addressing the agricultural challenges caused by rising global populations, climate change and the overuse of chemical pesticides, we dont think an ethical analysis based entirely on crossing species lines and naturalness is adequate.

It is already clear that arguing gene-edited food is ethical based on species lines has not satisfied all of gene editings critics. As Ricarda Steinbrecher, a molecular biologist cautious about gene editing, has said, Whether or not the DNA sequences come from closely related species is irrelevant, the process of genetic engineering is the same, involving the same risks and unpredictabilities, as with transgenesis.

Comments of this kind suggest talking about species lines is an unreliable guide. Species and subspecies boundaries are notoriously infirm. Charles Darwin himself conceded in Origin of Species, I look at the term species, as one arbitrarily given for the sake of convenience to a set of individuals closely resembling each other.

The 2005 edition of the Mammal Species of the World demonstrated this arbitrariness by collapsing all 12 subspecies of American cougars down to one Puma concolor cougar overnight. In 2017, the Cat Classification Task Force revised the Felidae family again.

If species lines are not clear, claiming naturalness based on not crossing species lines is, in our view, a shaky guide. The lack of clarity matters because a premature ethical green light could mean a premature regulatory green light, with broad implications for both agricultural producers and consumers.

We think a more reliable ethical measure is to ask about how a technique for crop breeding interferes with the integrity of the organism being altered.

The term integrity already has application in environmental ethics, ecology, cell biology, interhuman ethics, organic agriculture and genetics.

A unifying theme in all these domains is that integrity points toward some kind of functional wholeness of an organism, a cell, a genome or an ecological system. The idea of maintaining integrity tracks a central intuition about being cautious before interfering too much with living systems and their components.

The integrity lens makes it clear why the ethics of gene editing may not be radically different from the ethics of genetic modification using transgenes. The cell wall is still penetrated by the gene-editing components. The genome of the organism is cut at a site chosen by the scientist, and a repair is initiated which (it is hoped) will result in a desired change to the organism. When it comes to the techniques involved with gene editing a crop or other food for a desired trait, integrity is compromised at several levels and none has anything to do with crossing species lines. The integrity lens makes it clear the ethics is not resolved by debating naturalness or species boundaries.

Negotiation of each others integrity is a necessary part of human-to-human relations. Adopted as an ethical practice in the field of biotechnology, it might provide a better guide in attempts to accommodate different ethical, ecological and cultural priorities in policymaking. An ethic with a central place for discussion of integrity promises a framework that is both more flexible and discerning.

As new breeding techniques create new ethical debates over food, we think the ethical toolbox needs updating. Talking about crossing species lines simply isnt enough. If Darwin had known about gene editing, we think he would have agreed.

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Ethicists: We need more flexible tools for evaluating gene-edited food - The Conversation US

[Courtesy of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries]

More than 7,500 tons of abalone are consumed annually in South Korea. However, it's not easy for abalone farmers to keep their prized product alive during summer as the shellfish die easily when the sea temperature rises above 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 degrees Fahrenheit). To increase the production of abalone by increasing survivability in warm water temperatures, some farmers in China and other countries use genetic modification.

Temperatures of the sea around the Korean peninsula showed abnormality due to global warming, rising on an average of 0.44 degrees Celsius every year over the last decade, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. Abalone farmers lost more than 13.6 billion won ($10 million) in 2018 due to high sea temperatures.

The National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS), a scientific body operated by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said in a statement that it has found a selective breeding method that involves no genetic engineering by using genetic markers. The institute will commercialize the method after a pilot project at actual abalone farms.

"With the recent trend of rising sea temperature, the future of abalone farms depends on developing breeds that can survive in places where the water temperature varies greatly," NIFS researcher Nam Bo-hye was quoted as saying.

Based on the institute's 2014 finding that a certain breed of abalone is capable of staying alive in seas warmer than 32 degrees Celsius, NIFS researchers have analyzed genetic characteristics, which are genetic markers, of the more heat-tolerant breed. Abalone farmers can check genetic markers to sort out the heat-tolerant breed in a simple and quick manner.

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Researchers find new selective-breeding method for heat-tolerant abalone without genetic modification - Aju Business Daily

NEW YORK, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

Global Viral Vector and Plasmid Manufacturing Market to Reach $5.86 Billion by 2030

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05902571/?utm_source=PRN

Market Report Coverage - Viral Vector and Plasmid Manufacturing

Market Segmentation

Vector Type Plasmid DNA and Viral Vector Viral Vector Type Adenovirus, Adeno-Associated Virus, Retrovirus, Lentivirus, Vaccinia Virus, and Other Viral Vectors Disease Type Cancer, Genetic Disease, Infectious Disease, Cardiovascular Disease, and Other Diseases Application Gene Therapy, Cell Therapy, Vaccinology, and Other Applications

Regional Segmentation North America U.S., Canada Europe Germany, U.K., France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, and Rest-of-Europe Asia-Pacific China, Australia, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore, and Rest-of-Asia-Pacific Rest-of-the-World Latin America and Middle-East and Africa

Growth Drivers Rising Prevalence of Cancer, Genetic Disorders, and Infectious Diseases Rapid Uptake of Viral and Plasmid Vectors for the Development of Innovative Therapies Increasing Number of Clinical Studies for the Development of Gene Therapy Favorable Funding Scenario for Vector-Based Therapies

Market Challenges Unaffordable Cost of Gene Therapies High Manufacturing Costs of Viral Vectors and Plasmids Complications Associated with Large-Scale Production of Vectors

Market Opportunities Rising Demand for Synthetic Genes Emergence of Next-Generation Vectors

Key Companies ProfiledFUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, GENERAL ELECTRIC, Lonza, Merck KGaA, MolMed S.p.A., Novasep Holding, Oxford Biomedica plc, Catalent, Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., GenScript, Boehringer Ingelheim, Wuxi AppTec Co., Ltd., Sartorius AG, Takara Bio Inc., and Aldevron, L.L.C.

Key Questions Answered: What is a vector, and what is its importance in the medical industry? What are the major characteristics and types of vectors? What are the areas of application of vectors? What are the major advancements in the viral vector and plasmid manufacturing sector? What are the key trends of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market? How is the market evolving and what is its future scope? What are the major drivers, challenges, and opportunities of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market? What are the key developmental strategies implemented by the key players of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market to sustain the competition of the market? What is the percentage share of each of the key players in different key developmental strategies? What is the regulatory scenario of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market? What are the initiatives implemented by different governmental bodies and guidelines put forward to regulate the commercialization of viral vector and plasmid manufacturing products? What are major milestones in patenting activity in the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market? What was the market size of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market in 2019, and what is the market size anticipated to be in 2030? What is the expected growth rate of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market during the period between 2020 and 2030? What is the global market size for manufacturing plasmids and different types of viral vectors available in the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market in 2019? What are the key trends of the market with respect to different vectors and which vector type is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period 2020-2030? What are the different disease areas where plasmids and viral vectors are employed in the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market? Which disease type dominated the market in 2019 and is expected to dominate in 2030? What are the different applications associated with viral vector and plasmid manufacturing? What was the contribution of each of the application areas in the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market in 2019, and what is it expected in 2030? Which region is expected to contribute the highest sales to the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market during the period between 2019 and 2030? Which region and country carry the potential for significant expansion of key companies in the viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market? What are the leading countries of different regions that contribute significantly toward the growth of the market? Which are the key players of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market, and what are their roles in the market? What was the market share of the key players in 2019?

Market OverviewThe ability of vectors to carry out genetic modification through the introduction of therapeutic DNA/gene into a patient's body or cell has enabled its application in a wide range of modern therapies, including cell and gene therapies.Growing prominence of these therapies in different medical applications has therefore resulted in an increased demand for both viral and non-viral vectors.

Vector-based therapies are currently being used for the treatment of a large number of diseases, including cancer, infectious diseases, genetic diseases, and cardiovascular diseases, among others.Viral vectors and plasmid reduce the cost of treatment and help in decreasing repeated administrations of medications.

Moreover, vectors are also increasingly being used in the field of vaccinology for the development of vaccines owing to the advantage offered by them in inducing a wide range of immune response types. Several players, including biopharmaceutical companies, research institutes, contract manufacturing organizations, and non-profit organizations, have therefore focussed their interest on the development and production of viral vectors and plasmids.

Our healthcare experts have found viral vector and plasmid manufacturing industry to be one of the most rapidly evolving markets, and the global market for viral vector and plasmid manufacturing is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 16.28% over the forecast period of 2020-2030. The market is driven by certain factors, which include success of vector-based cell and gene therapies in treating various therapeutic conditions, increasing number of clinical studies in the field of gene therapy and availability of funding for vector-based gene therapy development, technological advancements in the biomanufacturing sector, and growing investments for expanding vector manufacturing facilities.The market is favoured by the rising prevalence of genetic disorders, cancer, and infectious diseases that has raised the demand for advanced therapeutics and increasing acceptance for comparatively newer treatment options in developing countries.However, the growth of the market is also affected by several factors.

Exorbitant manufacturing cost and highly regulated processes for large-scale vector production are the key challenges cited by industry experts.In addition, lack of required infrastructure and the shortfall of expertise in terms of scale, complexities, and quality assurance for vector production are some of the factors restraining the market growth.

However, rise of contract manufacturers has effectively addressed the above-articulated manufacturing challenges by offering a wide range of vector manufacturing services that offer lucrative opportunities for the growth of the market. Further, increase in research and developmental activities in vector engineering offers strong promise to drive the growth of the viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market in the upcoming years.

Within the research report, the market is segmented on the basis of vector type, application, disease, and region. Each of these segments covers the snapshot of the market over the projected years, the inclination of the market revenue, underlying patterns, and trends by using analytics on the primary and secondary data obtained.

Competitive LandscapeThe exponential rise in the application of viral vector and plasmid in various therapies on the global level has created a buzz among companies to invest significantly in viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market.The market is highly competitive, marking the presence of several contract manufacturing organizations and biopharmaceutical companies, who are engaged in in-house vector manufacturing.

Among the different players of the market, Lonza and Thermo Fisher Scientific hold majority of the market share. Other companies contributing significantly toward the growth of the global viral vector and plasmid manufacturing market include GE Healthcare, Fujifilm Holding Corporation, Merck KGaA, Oxford Biomedica plc, Sartorius AG, and Catalent, Inc., among others. On the basis of region, North America holds the largest market share, while Asia-Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.

Countries Covered North America U.S. Canada Europe U.K. Germany France Spain Italy Switzerland Belgium Rest-of-Europe Asia-Pacific China Japan Australia South Korea India Singapore Rest-of-Asia-Pacific Rest-of-the-World

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global market for viral vector and plasmid manufacturing is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 16.28% over the forecast period of 2020-2030 - Salamanca...

She just wanted to be somewhere safe, somewhere familiar, where people looked and spoke like her and she could stand to eat the food. Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson

Midnight Robber (2000) is about a woman, divided. Raised on the high-tech utopian planet of Touissant, Tan-Tan grows up on a planet populated by the descendants of a Caribbean diaspora, where all labor is performed by an all-seeing AI. But when she is exiled to Touissants parallel universe twin planet, the no-tech New Half-Way Tree, with her sexually abusive father, she becomes divided between good and evil Tan-Tans. To make herself and New Half-Way Tree whole, she adopts the persona of the legendary Robber Queen and becomes a legend herself. It is a wondrous blend of science fictional tropes and Caribbean mythology written in a Caribbean vernacular which vividly recalls the history of slavery and imperialism that shaped Touissant and its people, published at a time when diverse voices and perspectives within science fiction were blossoming.

Science fiction has long been dominated by white, Western perspectives. Vernes tech-forward adventures and Wells sociological allegories established two distinctive styles, but still centered on white imperialism and class struggle. Subsequent futures depicted in Verne-like pulp and Golden Age stories, where lone white heroes conquered evil powers or alien planets, mirrored colonialist history and the subjugation of non-white races. The civil rights era saw the incorporation of more Wellsian sociological concerns, and an increase in the number of non-white faces in the future, but they were often tokensparts of a dominant white monoculture. Important figures that presaged modern diversity included Star Treks Lieutenant Uhura, played by Nichelle Nichols. Nichols was the first black woman to play a non-servant character on TV; though her glorified secretary role frustrated Nichols, her presence was a political act, showing there was space for black people in the future.

Another key figure was the musician and poet Sun Ra, who laid the aesthetic foundation for what would become known as the Afrofuturist movement (the term coined by Mark Dery in a 1994 essay), which showed pride in black history and imagined the future through a black cultural lens. Within science fiction, the foundational work of Samuel Delany and Octavia Butler painted realistic futures in which the histories and cultural differences of people of color had a place. Finally, an important modern figure in the decentralization of the dominant Western perspective is Nalo Hopkinson.

A similarly long-standing paradigm lies at the heart of biology, extending back to Darwins theoretical and Mendels practical frameworks for the evolution of genetic traits via natural selection. Our natures werent determined by experience, as Lamarck posited, but by genes. Therefore, genes determine our reproductive fitness, and if we can understand genes, we might take our futures into our own hands to better treat disease and ease human suffering. This theory was tragically over-applied, even by Darwin, who in Descent of Man (1871) conflated culture with biology, assuming the Wests conquest of indigenous cultures meant white people were genetically superior. After the Nazis committed genocide in the name of an all-white future, ideas and practices based in eugenics declined, as biological understanding of genes matured. The Central Dogma of the 60s maintained the idea of a mechanistic meaning of life, as advances in genetic engineering and the age of genomics enabled our greatest understanding yet of how genes and disease work. The last major barrier between us and our transhumanist future therefore involved understanding how genes determine cellular identity, and as well see, key figures in answering that question are stem cells.

***

Hopkinson was born December 20, 1960 in Kingston, Jamaica. Her mother was a library technician and her father wrote, taught, and acted. Growing up, Hopkinson was immersed in the Caribbean literary scene, fed on a steady diet of theater, dance, readings, and visual arts exhibitions. She loved to readfrom folklore, to classical literature, to Kurt Vonnegutand loved science fiction, from Spock and Uhura on Star Trek, to Le Guin, James Tiptree Jr., and Delany. Despite being surrounded by a vibrant writing community, it didnt occur to her to become a writer herself. What they were writing was poetry and mimetic fiction, Hopkinson said, whereas I was reading science fiction and fantasy. It wasnt until I was 16 and stumbled upon an anthology of stories written at the Clarion Science Fiction Workshop that I realized there were places where you could be taught how to write fiction. Growing up, her family moved often, from Jamaica to Guyana to Trinidad and back, but in 1977, they moved to Toronto to get treatment for her fathers chronic kidney disease, and Hopkinson suddenly became a minority, thousands of miles from home.

Development can be described as an orderly alienation. In mammals, zygotes divide and subsets of cells become functionally specialized into, say, neurons or liver cells. Following the discovery of DNA as the genetic material in the 1950s, a question arose: did dividing cells retain all genes from the zygote, or were genes lost as it specialized? British embryologist John Gurdon addressed this question in a series of experiments in the 60s using frogs. Gurdon transplanted nuclei from varyingly differentiated cells into oocytes stripped of their genetic material to see if a new frog was made. He found the more differentiated a cell was, the lower the chance of success, but the successes confirmed that no genetic material was lost. Meanwhile, Canadian biologists Ernest McCulloch and James Till were transplanting bone marrow to treat irradiated mice when they noticed it caused lumps in the mices spleens, and the number of lumps correlated with the cellular dosage. Their lab subsequently demonstrated that each lump was a clonal colony from a single donor cell, and a subset of those cells was self-renewing and could form further colonies of any blood cell type. They had discovered hematopoietic stem cells. In 1981 the first embryonic stem cells (ESCs) from mice were successfully propagated in culture by British biologist Martin Evans, winning him the Nobel Prize in 2007. This breakthrough allowed biologists to alter genes in ESCs, then use Gurdons technique to create transgenic mice with that alteration in every cellcreating the first animal models of disease.

In 1982, one year after Evans discovery, Hopkinson graduated with honors from York University. She worked in the arts, as a library clerk, government culture research officer, and grants officer for the Toronto Arts Council, but wouldnt begin publishing her own fiction until she was 34. [I had been] politicized by feminist and Caribbean literature into valuing writing that spoke of particular cultural experiences of living under colonialism/patriarchy, and also of writing in ones own vernacular speech, Hopkinson said. In other words, I had models for strong fiction, and I knew intimately the body of work to which I would be responding. Then I discovered that Delany was a black man, which opened up a space for me in SF/F that I hadnt known I needed. She sought out more science fiction by black authors and found Butler, Charles Saunders, and Steven Barnes. Then the famous feminist science fiction author and editor Judy Merril offered an evening course in writing science fiction through a Toronto college, Hopkinson said. The course never ran, but it prompted me to write my first adult attempt at a science fiction story. Judy met once with the handful of us she would have accepted into the course and showed us how to run our own writing workshop without her. Hopkinsons dream of attending Clarion came true in 1995, with Delany as an instructor. Her early short stories channeled her love of myth and folklore, and her first book, written in Caribbean dialect, married Caribbean myth to the science fictional trappings of black market organ harvesting. Brown Girl in the Ring (1998) follows a young single mother as shes torn between her ancestral culture and modern life in a post-economic collapse Toronto. It won the Aspect and Locus Awards for Best First Novel, and Hopkinson was awarded the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

In 1996, Dolly the Sheep was created using Gurdons technique to determine if mammalian cells also could revert to more a more primitive, pluripotent state. Widespread animal cloning attempts soon followed, (something Hopkinson used as a science fictional element in Brown Girl) but it was inefficient, and often produced abnormal animals. Ideas of human cloning captured the public imagination as stem cell research exploded onto the scene. One ready source for human ESC (hESC) materials was from embryos which would otherwise be destroyed following in vitro fertilization (IVF) but the U.S. passed the Dickey-Wicker Amendment prohibited federal funding of research that destroyed such embryos. Nevertheless, in 1998 Wisconsin researcher James Thomson, using private funding, successfully isolated and cultured hESCs. Soon after, researchers around the world figured out how to nudge cells down different lineages, with ideas that transplant rejection and genetic disease would soon become things of the past, sliding neatly into the hole that the failure of genetic engineering techniques had left behind. But another blow to the stem cell research community came in 2001, when President Bushs stem cell ban limited research in the U.S. to nineteen existing cell lines.

In the late 1990s, another piece of technology capturing the public imagination was the internet, which promised to bring the world together in unprecedented ways. One such way was through private listservs, the kind used by writer and academic Alondra Nelson to create a space for students and artists to explore Afrofuturist ideas about technology, space, freedom, culture and art with science fiction at the center. It was wonderful, Hopkinson said. It gave me a place to talk and debate with like-minded people about the conjunction of blackness and science fiction without being shouted down by white men or having to teach Racism 101. Connections create communities, which in turn create movements, and in 1999, Delanys essay, Racism and Science Fiction, prompted a call for more meaningful discussions around race in the SF community. In response, Hopkinson became a co-founder of the Carl Brandon society, which works to increase awareness and representation of people of color in the community.

Hopkinsons second novel, Robber, was a breakthrough success and was nominated for Hugo, Nebula, and Tiptree Awards. She would also release Skin Folk (2001), a collection of stories in which mythical figures of West African and Afro-Caribbean culture walk among us, which would win the World Fantasy Award and was selected as one ofThe New York Times Best Books of the Year. Hopkinson also obtained masters degree in fiction writing (which helped alleviate U.S. border hassles when traveling for speaking engagements) during which she wrote The Salt Roads (2003). I knew it would take a level of research, focus and concentration I was struggling to maintain, Hopkinson said. I figured it would help to have a mentor to coach me through it. That turned out to be James Morrow, and he did so admirably. Roads is a masterful work of slipstream literary fantasy that follows the lives of women scattered through time, bound together by the salt uniting all black life. It was nominated for a Nebula and won the Gaylactic Spectrum Award. Hopkinson also edited anthologies centering around different cultures and perspectives, including Whispers from the Cotton Tree Root: Caribbean Fabulist Fiction (2000), Mojo: Conjure Stories (2003), and So Long, Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction & Fantasy (2004). She also came out with the award-winning novelThe New Moons Arms in 2007, in which a peri-menopausal woman in a fictional Caribbean town is confronted by her past and the changes she must make to keep her family in her life.

While the stem cell ban hamstrung hESC work, Gurdons research facilitated yet another scientific breakthrough. Researchers began untangling how gene expression changed as stem cells differentiated, and in 2006, Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University reported the successful creation of mouse stem cells from differentiated cells. Using a list of 24 pluripotency-associated genes, Yamanaka systematically tested different gene combinations on terminally differentiated cells. He found four genesthereafter known as Yamanaka factorsthat could turn them into induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and he and Gurdon would share a 2012 Nobel prize. In 2009, President Obama lifted restrictions on hESC research, and the first clinical trial involving products made using stem cells happened that year. The first human trials using hESCs to treat spinal injuries happened in 2014, and the first iPSC clinical trials for blindness began this past December.

Hopkinson, too, encountered complications and delays at points in her career. For years, Hopkinson suffered escalating symptoms from fibromyalgia, a chronic disease that runs in her family, which interfered with her writing, causing Hopkinson and her partner to struggle with poverty and homelessness. But in 2011, Hopkinson applied to become a professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside. It seemed in many ways tailor-made for me, Hopkinson said. They specifically wanted a science fiction writer (unheard of in North American Creative Writing departments); they wanted someone with expertise working with a diverse range of people; they were willing to hire someone without a PhD, if their publications were sufficient; they were offering the security of tenure. She got the job, and thanks to a steady paycheck and the benefits of the mild California climate, she got back to writing. Her YA novel, The Chaos (2012), coming-of-age novelSister Mine (2013), and another short story collection, Falling in Love with Hominids (2015) soon followed. Her recent work includes House of Whispers (2018-present), a series in DC Comics Sandman Universe, the final collected volume of which is due out this June. Hopkinson also received an honorary doctorate in 2016 from Anglia Ruskin University in the U.K., and was Guest of Honor at 2017 Worldcon, a year in which women and people of color dominated the historically white, male ballot.

While the Yamanaka factors meant that iPSCs became a standard lab technique, iPSCs are not identical to hESCs. Fascinatingly, two of these factors act together to maintain the silencing of large swaths of DNA. Back in the 1980s, researchers discovered that some regions of DNA are modified by small methyl groups, which can be passed down through cell division. Different cell types have different DNA methylation patterns, and their distribution is far from random; they accumulate in the promoter regions just upstream of genes where their on/off switches are, and the greater the number of methyl groups, the lesser the genes expression. Furthermore, epigenetic modifications, like methylation, can be laid down by our environments (via diet, or stress) which can also be passed down through generations. Even some diseases, like fibromyalgia, have recently been implicated as such an epigenetic disease. Turns out that the long-standing biological paradigm that rejected Lamarck also missed the bigger picture: Nature is, in fact, intimately informed by nurture and environment.

In the past 150 years, we have seen ideas of community grow and expand as the world became more connected, so that they now encompass the globe. The histories of science fiction and biology are full of stories of pioneers opening new doorsbe they doors of greater representation or greater understanding, or bothand others following. If evolution has taught us anything, its that nature abhors a monoculture, and the universe tends towards diversification; healthy communities are ones which understand that we are not apart from the world, but of it, and that diversity of types, be they cells or perspectives, is a strength.

Kelly Lagor is a scientist by day and a science fiction writer by night. Her work has appeared at Tor.com and other places, and you can find her tweeting about all kinds of nonsense @klagor

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On the Origins of Modern Biology and the Fantastic: Part 18 Nalo Hopkinson and Stem Cell Research - tor.com

A recent market study on the global CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market reveals that the global CRISPR And CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Genes market is expected to reach a value of ~US$ XX by the end of 2029 growing at a CAGR of ~XX% during the forecast period (2019-2029).

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Astrobiologist Kendi Lynch spoke about the original problem of the colonization of Mars by humans. Astronauts can change DNA to adapt to life on the red planet.

In 2030, NASA plans to begin the first phase of the colonization of Mars. However, the journey to the red planet itself and breaking it can be overwhelming for the average person. To cope with this problem, the researchers plan to alter the DNA of the astronauts, making them more resilient. All crew members will transfer experiments on himself, because only some people will stay on Mars and the main group will return to the Earth. Experts on genetic engineering has already begun to conduct experiments on human cells. To increase their stamina scientists have introduced genes in the DNA of tardigrades, the most resilient beings on the planet. In the result cells promoted radiation resistance and could continue to properly perform its functions.

Such experiments will allow to make a man able not only to live on Mars, but also to have children. Kendi Lynch is confident that the technology can be applied in practice, if the scientists guarantee the safety of astronauts.

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Astronauts can change DNA for the colonization of Mars - The Times Hub