CRISPR

Diabetic Man With Gene-Edited Cells Produces His Own Insulin—No Transplant Drugs Required

A proof-of-concept study finds that donated insulin-producing cells can be genetically modified to avoid provoking the recipient's immune system.

Health Ed Cara Aug 8

When Will Genetically Modifying Our Children Go Mainstream?

Scientific organizations recently called for a 10-year ban on human germline editing. But will we ever be ready? And how would we even know?

Health Ed Cara Jun 22

Biologists Engineer Spiders to Spin Glowing Red Silk

CRISPR-modified spiders have bright and colorful silk. And also no eyes.

Biology Natalia Mesa May 21

The FDA Just Approved CRISPR-Edited Pigs for the Dinner Table

PIC's gene-edited pigs are highly resistant to one of the most harmful viruses affecting pig populations worldwide today.

Biology Ed Cara May 3

Image: S.C. Leung/SOPA Images/LightRocket

Controversial Scientist Back at Work After Jail Time for Creating Genetically Modified Babies

He Jiankui is reportedly once again editing the genes of human embryos in the lab, but he claims his experiments will now follow the rules.

Health Ed Cara Apr 1

LIGHTSPEED Presents: ‘The CRISPR Cookbook: A Guide to Biohacking Your Own Abortion in a Post-Roe World’ by MKRNYILGLD

It's storytime! Read a science fiction/fantasy short story from Lightspeed Magazine here at io9.

io9 Lightspeed Sep 8

Scientists Are Inching Closer to Creating Truly Hypoallergenic Cats

The gene-editing technology CRISPR could knock out a protein that's the major source of cat allergies, a new study says.

Biology Ed Cara Mar 28

We’ve Got You Now, Ticks

For the first time, scientists say they can genetically alter ticks, which should allow us to better understand these disease-spreading pests.

Biology Ed Cara Feb 15

Illustration: Niklas Elmehed/Nobel Media

Gene-Editing CRISPR Pioneers Get a Well-Deserved Nobel Prize

On Wednesday, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to scientists Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna for their pivotal roles in discovering CRISPR/Cas9, an ancient bacterial defense system that’s been adapted into a cheap and revolutionary gene-editing technology. This is the first Nobel in Chemistry to be shared exclusively by two…

Biology Ed Cara Oct 7

Researchers Give Mice Super Calorie-Burning Fat Cells Using CRISPR

Researchers say they may have found a way to create more useful fat cells using the gene-editing technique CRISPR. In a new study out Wednesday, they found evidence—in mice—that these engineered cells can possibly help the body burn calories quicker, as well as prevent obesity and other metabolic problems, compared to the fat cells most…

Health Ed Cara Aug 27

Scientists Find Over 300 ‘Huge’ Viruses With Strange Abilities

These large microorganisms don’t just dwarf typical viruses in size—they also seem capable of complex tricks normally only seen in living things.

Biology Ed Cara Feb 12

U.S. Trial Finds CRISPR-Edited Cells Are Safe in Cancer Patients

For years, scientists have hoped to use the gene-editing technology CRISPR to help treat all sorts of diseases, including cancer. Now for the first time in the U.S., researchers say they’ve shown that CRISPR-edited immune cells can be safely given to cancer patients and survive for up to nine months—a finding that may signal CRISPR’s…

Health Ed Cara Feb 6

CRISPR Scientist Gets Three Years of Jail Time For Creating Gene-Edited Babies

Disgraced Chinese scientist He Jiankui has been sentenced to three years in jail for creating the world’s first genetically modified human babies. The Nanshan District People’s Court of Shenzhen has sentenced He Jiankui to three years in prison and fined him 3 million yuan ($430,000) for violating a government ban on using gene-editing technologies to…

Biology George Dvorsky Dec 30

Scientists Debut Precise New Gene-Editing Technique That Overcomes Some of CRISPR’s Problems

Scientists have created a new gene-editing technique that overcomes some of the biggest drawbacks of the popular gene-editing tool CRISPR. Gene editing’s core goal is to quickly and accurately edit genetic code, as if you could simply rewrite parts to get certain desired traits. New gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9 and base editors are getting…

Biology Ryan F. Mandelbaum Oct 21

A Study That Linked Shorter Lifespans to CRISPR Baby Mutation Has Been Retracted

An alarming study that added fuel to the fire over a recent controversial genetic experiment in China has now been invalidated. The study, which suggested that a mutation induced by Chinese scientist He Jiankui in human babies could shorten their lives, was retracted late last week, after other scientists failed to find similar results and the…

Biology Ed Cara Oct 14

National Academy of Sciences Removes Video Suggesting Gene Editing Could Be Used to Make Designer Babies

The partially U.S. government-funded National Academy of Sciences removed a webpage with a video describing gene editing in ways that conflict with the organization’s own ethical guidelines. The NAS has updated the webpage where the video once resided with a note saying, “We are concerned that the content, including a video, left the misimpression that…

Biology Ryan F. Mandelbaum Oct 3

Researchers Use CRISPR to Remove HIV From Mice

An interdisciplinary team of scientists is claiming to have eliminated the HIV virus from the genomes of mice by combining the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool with an experimental new drug. It’s a promising development in the battle against HIV and AIDS, but more work is required before clinical trials can begin. Using a gene-editing tool like…

Health George Dvorsky Jul 2

CRISPR Baby Mutation Linked to Higher Risk of Early Death

New research shows that the genetic tweak employed by disgraced Chinese scientist He Jiankui to make babies immune to HIV carries an associated risk of early death. People with two copies of a mutation that protects against the HIV virus, known as CCR5-delta 32, are more likely to die before age 76 than individuals without…

Biology George Dvorsky Jun 3

Substandard, Superficial, and Absurd: Experts Slam the Science Behind the CRISPR Baby Experiment

A pair of genetic experts are claiming that the controversial human gene-editing experiment conducted by Chinese scientist He Jiankui was not only unethical, it was also deeply flawed from a scientific perspective. The experiment, they said, likely won’t work as intended, and the two girls produced by the project now face uncertain health risks. The…

Health George Dvorsky Apr 30

Gene-Editing Record Smashed With Over 13,000 Changes Made to a Single Human Cell

Using a modified version of CRISPR, a team of geneticists has successfully triggered 13,200 genetic changes to a single human cell. That’s a new record, by a long shot. This sweeping new editing process could eventually be used to strip DNA of useless or dangerous genetic information—or create entirely new kinds of life. New research…

Biology George Dvorsky Mar 26

CRISPR

Diabetic Man With Gene-Edited Cells Produces His Own Insulin—No Transplant Drugs Required

When Will Genetically Modifying Our Children Go Mainstream?

Biologists Engineer Spiders to Spin Glowing Red Silk

The FDA Just Approved CRISPR-Edited Pigs for the Dinner Table

Controversial Scientist Back at Work After Jail Time for Creating Genetically Modified Babies

LIGHTSPEED Presents: ‘The CRISPR Cookbook: A Guide to Biohacking Your Own Abortion in a Post-Roe World’ by MKRNYILGLD

Scientists Are Inching Closer to Creating Truly Hypoallergenic Cats

We’ve Got You Now, Ticks

Gene-Editing CRISPR Pioneers Get a Well-Deserved Nobel Prize

Researchers Give Mice Super Calorie-Burning Fat Cells Using CRISPR

Scientists Find Over 300 ‘Huge’ Viruses With Strange Abilities

U.S. Trial Finds CRISPR-Edited Cells Are Safe in Cancer Patients

CRISPR Scientist Gets Three Years of Jail Time For Creating Gene-Edited Babies

Scientists Debut Precise New Gene-Editing Technique That Overcomes Some of CRISPR’s Problems

A Study That Linked Shorter Lifespans to CRISPR Baby Mutation Has Been Retracted

National Academy of Sciences Removes Video Suggesting Gene Editing Could Be Used to Make Designer Babies

Researchers Use CRISPR to Remove HIV From Mice

CRISPR Baby Mutation Linked to Higher Risk of Early Death

Substandard, Superficial, and Absurd: Experts Slam the Science Behind the CRISPR Baby Experiment

Gene-Editing Record Smashed With Over 13,000 Changes Made to a Single Human Cell

Anthropic’s New Model Is So Scarily Powerful It Won’t Be Released, Anthropic Says

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