Genomic Science Program News Today

By studying how CRISPR-Cas works, scientists can predict and design where these tools modify DNA.

By studying how CRISPR-Cas works, scientists can predict and design where these tools modify DNA.

Aug. 7, 2023 — Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $4.7 million in funding for five new research projects in computational biology. [...]

Scientists estimate that northern peatlands contain one third of the Earth's soil carbon. This makes them important ecosystems for carbon storage, which keeps carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and controls climate change.

Bacteria can break down lactose to form yogurt and sugar to produce beer. Currently, scientists led by Northwestern University and LanzaTech have utilized bacteria to break down discarded carbon dioxide to create beneficial industrial chemicals.

Using synthetic biology, researchers developed a new gas fermentation method that harnesses an engineered bacteria strain to convert carbon dioxide waste into industrial chemicals.

Recent work shows that the plant microbiome-;the microorganisms in a plant and its immediate environment-;influences plant health, survival, and fitness. The initial assembly of the microbiome is particularly important.

A team of Vanderbilt researchers led by Jamey Young, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Engineering, John McLean, department chair and Stevenson

Do dead microbes control the future of Earth’s climate? A team of researchers led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) suspects they might. Using new tools, the team can see which soil organisms are thriving and which are dying in California’s changing climate — and what happens to carbon in their cell biomass when they do.

Increasing Drought Tolerance University of Nevada, Reno research addressing future population growth and food shortages   After several years of experimentation, scientists have engineered thale cress, or Arabidopsis thaliana, to behave like a succulent, improving water-use efficiency, salinity tolerance and reducing the effects of drought. The tissue succulence engineering method devised for this small flowering plant can be used in other plants to improve drought and salinity tolerance with ...