A new research study at the University of Missouri is using CRISPR gene-editing technology to produce mosquitoes that are unable to replicate Zika virus and therefore cannot infect a human through biting. Slashdot reader wooloohoo shared an announcement from Cornell’s Alliance for Science: Alexander Franz, an associate professor in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, collaborated with researchers at Colorado State…
Tag: Zika
The World’s First DNA ‘Tricorder’ In Your Pocket
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) scientists developed the world’s first mobile genome sequence analyzer, a new iPhone app called iGenomics. By pairing an iPhone with a handheld DNA sequencer, users can create a mobile genetics laboratory, reminiscent of the “tricorder” featured in Star Trek. Phys.Org reports: The iGenomics app runs entirely on the iOS device, reducing the need for laptops or…
Florida releasing genetically modified mosquitoes to prevent diseases like Zika
Some oppose the plan, citing environmental concerns. Source: https://www.livescience.com/genetically-modified-mosquito-florida.html
750 Million Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Approved For Release In Florida Keys
A plan to release over 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes into the Florida Keys in 2021 and 2022 received final approval from local authorities, against the objection of many local residents and a coalition of environmental advocacy groups. The proposal had already won state and federal approval. CNN reports: Approved by the Environment Protection Agency in May, the pilot project is…
Mosquitoes evolved to suck human blood when they couldn’t find water
Mosquitoes that carry Zika and dengue may have developed their taste for our blood as a way to cope with long dry seasons, since human activity often creates standing water Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2249764-mosquitoes-evolved-to-suck-human-blood-when-they-couldnt-find-water/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Baby Was Infected With Coronavirus In Womb, Study Reports
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: Researchers on Tuesday [reported in the journal Nature Communications] strong evidence that the coronavirus can be transmitted from a pregnant woman to a fetus. A baby born in a Paris hospital in March to a mother with Covid-19 tested positive for the virus and developed symptoms of inflammation in his…
Climate change may push Zika virus into southern and eastern Europe
Mosquitoes carrying Zika virus are infectious when temperatures are 19°C or higher – climate change may increase the virus’s range into southern and eastern Europe and the northern US Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2248273-climate-change-may-push-zika-virus-into-southern-and-eastern-europe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Coronavirus Found In Men’s Semen
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNN: The new coronavirus can persist in men’s semen even after they have begun to recover, a finding that raises the possibility the virus could be sexually transmitted, Chinese researchers said Thursday. A team at Shangqiu Municipal Hospital tested 38 male patients treated there at the height of the pandemic in China, in January…
What are zoonotic diseases and what can we do about them?
Infectious diseases that leap from animals to humans are called zoonotic diseases. Covid-19 is an example of a zoonotic disease caused by a coronavirus. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/what-are-zoonotic-diseases-coronavirus-covid19…
America’s Government Approves Release of Genetically-Engineered Mosquitoes
America’s Environmental Protection Agency “granted permission for genetically engineered mosquitoes to be released into the Florida Keys and around Houston to see if they can help limit the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses,” writes Bloomberg Environment. clovis (Slashdot reader #4,684) shared their report on ab experimental use permit granted to British biotech company Oxitec Ltd:
Oxitec’s first field trial in Brazil achieved up…