By Debosree Pal, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, India
Why is a PhD called a Doctor of Philosophy? The term finds its origin way back in the 19th century in German faculties where it was introduced to incorporate arenas of research that were not encompassed under the regular disciplines of medicine, law or theology. As the world progressed and more areas of research in science were introduced, the term was retained.
By Anastasia Stefanidou, Communications Officer, Biochemical Society
Gene editing and the use of CRISPR to fix genetic disease in human embryos seem to be all over the news these days.
It has just been reported that a team of American and South Korean scientists have successfully used CRISPR, a tool that cuts DNA with more precision than any other genome editing technology, to fix a genetic defect in human embryos that can cause serious heart problems. Continue reading “An introduction to gene editing”
By Nabila Juhi, Urmston Grammar School
I was going to find a cure for cancer, seven-year-old me decided. From a young age I’ve always been interested in science. It was perhaps one subject where I felt I’d found my niche: it was logical, I was good at it and it provided me with answers to questions I’d yet to even consider. Coming from an immigrant family, with parents who didn’t continue onto higher education, I was encouraged to stick to it.
Continue reading Overcoming the so-called ‘male, pale and stale’ world of STEM
By Alexander Evans, University of Leeds
The natural world is under threat from many anthropogenic sources, such as the spread of harmful invasive species and the decline of native populations due to habitat loss and climate change. Finding new technologies and methods to assess and tackle these increasingly global problems is crucial. However, in order to tackle big problems, sometimes you need small solutions. One such emerging tiny tool is the sequencing of environmental DNA (eDNA)!
Continue reading Frontier forensics: the rise of environmental DNA analysis
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