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By Category: Biotechnology
‘Left-handed iron corkscrews’ point the way to new weapon in battle against superbugs like MRSA
(University of Warwick) Scientists at the University of Warwick have taken inspiration from corkscrew structures found in nature to develop a new weapon in the fight against infections like E-coli and MRSA. Researchers have created a new synthetic class of helix-shaped molecules which they believe could be a key tool in the worldwide battle against Read More »
- November 29, 2011
- | Filed under North America, Biotechnology, Countermeasures, Public Health, and Research
The iGEM Competition: Synthetic Biologists and Molecular Animation
(Scientific American) The competition heralds itself as the premiere undergraduate synthetic biology competition. Teams are given a kit of biological parts from the registry of standard biological parts, and they use these precursors along with new parts of their own design …
- November 28, 2011
- | Filed under North America, Biotechnology, International, and Research
Bioengineers debate use of military money
(Nature.com) By transforming microbes into miniature chemical factories, synthetic biology could lead to cheaper medicines, greener fuels and, to the distress of some in the field, cleaner weapons. Last month, the US military asked synthetic biologists to look for more environmentally friendly ways to manufacture explosives, prompting a round of soul-searching about the field’s dependence Read More »
- November 23, 2011
- | Filed under North America, Biological Weapons, Biotechnology, and Research
Engineering a Deadly Flu
(The Scientist) The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity is investigating a research group that succeeded in making the avian influenza (H5N1) highly contagious in the lab, according to a post on NPR’s health blog. The researchers, led by virologist Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands, induced five mutations that rendered Read More »
- November 22, 2011
- | Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Biological Weapons, Biotechnology, and Research
Bioterror fears could block crucial flu research
(New Scientist) “The benefits of publishing this work do not outweigh the dangers of showing others how to replicate it,” says Thomas Ingelsby of the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, which has long warned of bioterror risks. …
- November 22, 2011
- | Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Biological Weapons, Biotechnology, Policy & Initiatives, and Research