Green-tech

Gene editing can sound like the stuff of sci-fi nightmares. Given the ability to selectively snip into the human genome, will we yield to the temptation to try to generate perfect little versions of ourselves? If we can dip into the genetic code, selectively editing for the traits we do or do not value, is that a Frankenstein scenario in the making? Probably not. “While scientists are focusing on an array of applications in the areas of health, agriculture and environment, fi ghting disease and improving health in humans is a top priority for many,” said Dr. Catherine Bliss, assistant professor in the University of California, San Francisco, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. As the name suggests, gene editing is the process whereby scientists “cut and paste strands of DNA — actually inserting, removing and replacing them — to modify an organism’s genetic code,” Bliss said. In a 2015 summit, scientists from around the globe agreed to channel their eff orts toward fighting di

One nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. How small is that? Well, a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick. It can be hard to conceptualize on that scale, and yet engineering is happening there. The United States National Nanotechnology Initiative cites examples, including nanotechnology-enabled catalysts that improve the combustion of methane to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and nanosensors to detect things like moisture levels and diseases in food crops. Such sensors could help firefi \ghters and soldiers by detecting toxins in the air. Using sophisticated tools such as the scanning tunneling microscope and the atomic force microscope, nanotech scientists are making inroads on a number of fronts. In health care, for instance, nanoparticles can seek out tumors and deliver drugs. They can push the boundaries of DNA sequencing and perhaps enable tissue regeneration or advanced wound treatment. In one recent article published on Phys. Org, a science news service, scien