Tag: zika virus

Researchers Try Using CRISPR To Genetically Engineer Zika-Resistant Mosquitoes

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…

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…

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…

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…

Toddlers born with Zika virus seem to be affected in multiple ways

Thousands of babies were born with severe brain damage after the 2015 Zika outbreak. New findings could tell us which therapies could help them most Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2240492-toddlers-born-with-zika-virus-seem-to-be-affected-in-multiple-ways/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

28 Devastating Infectious Diseases

Contagious diseases have shaped human history and they remain with us. Here’s a look at some of the worst, from ebola and dengue to the more recent coronavirus and Zika virus. Source: https://www.livescience.com/13694-devastating-infectious-diseases-smallpox-plague.html