Proteins are complex biomolecules that are found in all living organisms. They perform a wide variety of functions and are versatile in nature. Their diversity in function is matched by their wide range of structures. This led scientists to study their structures. One of the major steps in this process is protein sequencing. What is …
CRISPR-Cas is a prokaryotic (loosely bacterial in non-scientific usage) immunity system that helps bacteria defend themselves from infection by bacteriophages. Bacteriophages are a kind of viruses that attack bacteria. CRISPR is a set of DNA sequences that help identify infecting bacteriophages. Cas9 is a protein that cuts the identified DNA at the required points. Together, …
The weird animal having an elephant head, a giraffe’s long neck, and the body of a horse has been chasing you all the way from the mountain top to your favorite pizza restaurant and suddenly you jump into a chocolate pond! You open your eyes in a horrific jump and yell” Oh! It was just …
Scientists were in constant search for efficient and precise genome editing using reagents that are simple to design as well as inexpensive to generate. Developing ways to make precise, targeted changes to the genome of living cells has been a long-standing goal of biomedical researchers, who seek to understand, and hopefully cure, genetic diseases like …
Genome Editing Technologies: A New Path to Genetic Engineering Read More »
The Hershey-Chase experiments were a series of landmark experiments in the development of biology as we know it. They helped establish the nature of genetic matter. As a result, we now have a much better understanding of how genetics work and the fundamental processes involved. Background Reproduction, and hence inheritance, is a core process of …
What comes to your mind when you hear the word “Europeans”? Your answer might be white-skinned, pretty, tall people. Studies show that traits like pale skin, tallness, and ability to digest milk in adults have arrived in the recent past. Is the white skin color only an environmental impact? Can an African develop pale white …
We take antibiotics, vaccines, and other treatments to save ourselves from bacterial, viral, and other pathogens. Have you ever thought about how plants can save themselves? The answer to the above question is that plants have strong immune responses to cope up with bacterial and viral infections. The next question that arises in my mind …
The basic structural, functional, and biological unit of all known organisms is the cell. The word “cell” is derived from the Latin word cella, which means “small room”. They are complex and perform various functions for the organism. Everything from respiration to repair, you can thank your cells for keeping you alive! In a complex …
Contagion was released in 2011, following the story of MEV-1, a novel fictional virus that brought the world to its knees. Sounds familiar? The movie has garnered attention recently due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Infectious Disease – 2019) pandemic and some of the similarities that lie between its plotline and reality. It was praised by …
As far as we know, life exists only on Earth. We don’t have any solid evidence to say that there is any extraterrestrial life. But as intelligent living beings, we always have the quest to find extraterrestrial life and we have been trying to do that. The first place we can look at for some …
Life In Our Solar System – Possibility and Search Read More »
“Take two nanobots and call me in the morning”, said the doctor. Wondering what this term nanobot is and why to eat them? Well, don’t worry if you don’t know this. Continue reading this article as you will be delighted to know about this interesting topic. What is a Nanobot? A nanorobot is a machine …
What comes to your mind when you think of WAR? If it was about a century ago, then we would think about soldiers marching forward on horses or cavalry with spears and swords, shooting arrows and all the things we imagine. If it was about half a century ago, it would be all the huge …
Imagine it is the year 1985. Someone out there writing a piece of science fiction talks about how the world is troubled by a strange disease in the future. It has a plot centring around an apocalyptic event of epic proportions. Well, it’s 2020, and we live in such strange times indeed. The world is …
