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Fat? Sick? Blame Your Grandparents' Bad Habits. A Genetic Fog Machine That Tags Criminals. Super Teeny 3-D Printed Livers Go On Sale. DNA survives sub-orbital trip on the exterior of a rocket. DNA molecules smeared onto the exterior of a sub-orbital test rocket are capable of surviving a 13-minute trip into space and a scorching re-entry, European researchers say.

DNA survives sub-orbital trip on the exterior of a rocket

The scientists' surprising finding, which was published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One, suggests that genetic material is hardier than previously thought and may have the potential to stow away on robotic landers bound for other worlds, or within meteors, the report said. "It is conceivable that life exists independently from our planet even under the very hostile conditions prevailing on our neighbors like Mars," wrote senior study author Dr. Oliver Ullrich, a molecular biologist at the University of Zurich, and his colleagues.

"Already on Earth we are able to identify some extreme life forms which can survive physically and/or geochemically harsh conditions, such as very high or low temperatures, intense radiation, pressure, vacuum, desiccation, salinity and pH. Follow @montemorin for science news. Can bacteria make you smarter? Exposure to specific bacteria in the environment, already believed to have antidepressant qualities, could increase learning behavior according to research presented today at the 110th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in San Diego.

Can bacteria make you smarter?

"Mycobacterium vaccae is a natural soil bacterium which people likely ingest or breath in when they spend time in nature," says Dorothy Matthews of The Sage Colleges in Troy, New York, who conducted the research with her colleague Susan Jenks. Previous research studies on M. vaccae showed that heat-killed bacteria injected into mice stimulated growth of some neurons in the brain that resulted in increased levels of serotonin and decreased anxiety. Bioengineer: the heart is one of the easiest organs to bioprint, we'll do it in a decade. A team of cardiovascular scientists has announced it will be able to 3D print a whole heart from the recipients' own cells within a decade.

Bioengineer: the heart is one of the easiest organs to bioprint, we'll do it in a decade

"America put a man on the Moon in less than a decade. I said a full decade to provide some wiggle room," Stuart K Williams told Wired.co.uk. A Genome Testing Device That Looks as Cool as a Jambox. This is made possible through a cartridge (that uses microscopic plumbing to separate DNA molecules) created by Fluidigm, and a touchscreen created by fuseproject.

A Genome Testing Device That Looks as Cool as a Jambox

Courtesy of fuseproject Prior to Juno, it could take several days and manual steps to prep and analyze genomic material. This machine automates everything, and goes from prep to results in three hours. Juno, a slick new machine designed by Yves Béhar for biotech startup Fluidigm, makes it easier than ever for lab technicians to analyze DNA molecules. The pattern on the casing, designed by fuseproject, shows the grooves created during CNC milling.

<div class="slide" data-slide-id="1631625" ><img title="" alt="" width="650px" src=" data-image-width="1000" data-image-height="750" /><p class="caption">This is made possible through a cartridge (that uses microscopic plumbing to separate DNA molecules) created by Fluidigm, and a touchscreen created by fuseproject. Mussels Inspire A Glue That Works Underwater. There's a new prototype glue that sticks like mussels to a rock—literally.

Mussels Inspire A Glue That Works Underwater

The glue, which works underwater, incorporates proteins that mussels normally use to adhere to rocks, jetties, and larger sea critters. But the manmade adhesive isn't an exact replica of mussel glue. Its ingredients also include proteins that E. coli produce when they make slime colonies. The result is the strongest bio-inspired adhesive that works underwater, according to the glue's engineers. Test tube milk the latest to hit the engineered food scene. "Got (synthetically bioengineered plant-based) Milk?

Test tube milk the latest to hit the engineered food scene

" may not have the punch of the famous California dairy industry advert, but the founders of a Silicon Valley-based biotech startup are hoping their genetically engineered yeast will produce a dairy alternative as good or better than the cow version. Joining a growing field of recent plant-based alternative meat and dairy startups, Muufri (pronounced “moo free”) was founded in May of 2014 and is taking a somewhat different approach to developing its product. View all Soy, almonds and other nuts have long been a popular base for alternative meat and dairy items, but few diners have been fooled into believing their veggie burger or soy milk tastes like the animal version.

The recent push by plant-based food startups seeks to produce alternatives in the lab that replicate the taste, texture, mouthfeel, look, flavor and cooking properties of the real thing, so diners will be fooled. Source: Muufri Share. Genecoin. Flavr Savr - Wikiwand. Flavr Savr (also known as CGN-89564-2; pronounced "flavor saver"), a genetically modified tomato, was the first commercially grown genetically engineered food to be granted a license for human consumption.

Flavr Savr - Wikiwand

It was produced by the Californian company Calgene, and submitted to the U.S. 10 Insane Cases of Genetic Engineering. Animals You’re probably familiar with South Korea’s glow-in-the-dark cats (if not, here’s a video).

10 Insane Cases of Genetic Engineering

They’re genetically modified cats with fluorescent pigmentation in their skin that causes them to glow red under UV light. Ebola puts focus on drugs made in tobacco plants. Spirulina (dietary supplement) Spirulina tablets Spirulina is a cyanobacterium that can be consumed by humans and other animals and is made primarily from two species of cyanobacteria: Arthrospira platensis and Arthrospira maxima.

Spirulina (dietary supplement)

Scientists discover living power cables made from bacteria. Laboratory-grown beef: meat without the murder, but would you eat it? Last summer you unveiled the world's first lab-grown – or "in vitro" hamburger.

Laboratory-grown beef: meat without the murder, but would you eat it?

How did it feel when you had it fried up, and you gave it to the first person to test? What if they had spat it out and said: "Ugh, this is awful"? Well, yes. More than bread and beer: The National Collection of Yeast Cultures. Yeasts are one of the earliest, if not the earliest, biological tools used by people. The earliest known written words in human history document recipes for making bread and beer, both of which are made using yeast, as well the price of bricks – it seems our fancy for food and drink while discussing the price of property has remained unchanged over the years.

Brewers' yeast, Saccharomyces cerivisae, features widely in products we consume daily in our billions across the world, but these ancient unicellular fungi are poised to become a defining organism of the modern era. Yeast can be used in biorefineries to make biofuels for transport as well as platform chemicals for a variety of medical and industrial processes. Moreover, yeast are a key model organism in the emerging field of synthetic biology, and engineered or even reconstructed artificial strains may be manufacturing the fuels, food and pharmaceuticals of the future.

BioSteel. BioSteel was a trademark name for a high-strength based fiber material made of the recombinant spider silk-like protein extracted from the milk of transgenic goats, made by Nexia Biotechnologies, and later by the Randy Lewis lab of the University of Wyoming and Utah State University.[1] It is reportedly 7-10 times as strong as steel if compared for the same weight, and can stretch up to 20 times its unaltered size without losing its strength properties.

It also has very high resistance to extreme temperatures, not losing any of its properties within -20 to 330 degrees Celsius. The purified silk proteins could be dried, dissolved using solvents (DOPE formation) and transformed into microfibers using wet-spinning fiber production methods. The spun fibers were reported to have tenacities in the range of 2 - 3 grams/denier and elongation range of 25-45%. At the Printer, Living Tissue. Play video By Jeffery DelViscio, Pedro Rafael Rosado, Kriston Lewis, Abe Sater, Robin Lindsay and David Corcoran Being Printed, Living Tissue: At labs around the world, researchers have been experimenting with bioprinting, but there are many formidable obstacles to overcome. Dr. D’Lima, who heads an orthopedic research lab at the Scripps Clinic here, has already made bioartificial cartilage in cow tissue, modifying an old inkjet printer to put down layer after layer of a gel containing living cells.

He has also printed cartilage in tissue removed from patients who have undergone knee replacement surgery. That gut feeling. 10 Bioengineered Body Parts That Could Change Medicine. UK joins project to create synthetic organism from scratch. Scientists breed glow-in-the-dark rabbits. World's first lab-grown burger is eaten in London. 5 August 2013Last updated at 15:50 ET. World's first lab-grown burger to be cooked and eaten. 4 August 2013Last updated at 22:31 ET By Pallab Ghosh Science correspondent, BBC News.

Transgenic Goats Producing Human Breast Milk Enzyme May Help Stop GI Infections Wordwide (w/video) Genomes of 201 microbes sequenced. 15 July 2013Last updated at 09:09 GMT By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC World Service. BBSRC - Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) - Home. Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation. The Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation (CSynBI) is developing the foundational tools for synthetic biology and using these to generate innovative biological applications for cutting-edge research, healthcare and industry. Along with our research and development of synthetic biology we also integrate our science with emerging ethical, legal and societal issues to responsibly mature this powerful new technology.

The research laboratories of CSynBI opened in April 2010 and have already produced many exciting publications in synthetic biology. CSynBI is comprised of scientific researchers at Imperial College London and societal and ethical researchers from the Department of Social Science, Health and Medicine at King's College London. The BioBricks Foundation. SAGE® Labs - Knockout Rat and Knockout Mouse Models. Scientists building the world's first synthetic yeast. Sea urchin nickel 'trick' could be key to capturing carbon.

4 February 2013Last updated at 21:57 ET By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent, BBC News. Study: plants 'talk' via funghi to warn about impending dangers. Salmon steak from GM fish could soon be on your plate. Leprosy bacteria use 'biological alchemy' Artificial jellyfish built from rat cells. New Coating Makes Silicon Circuits Implantable in Human Tissue. Computers Made Out of DNA, Slime and Other Strange Stuff. London in Motion [HD version coming soon!] DNA 'perfect for digital storage' Researchers Demonstrate Reliable DNA Data Storage in Work Published in Nature.

Glowing bacteria biopixels: The sensor displays of the future. Scientists make 'laboratory-grown' kidney. Scientists Make Progress in Tailor-Made Organs. 'Bioprosthetic' artificial heart combines synthetic materials and cow tissue. Surgeons at Duke University Hospital Implant Bioengineered Vein. Skin cells turned into healthy heart muscle cells. – USATODAY.com. Edinburgh scientists use 3D printing to produce stem cells. Print me some skin. Cornell Bioengineers 3D Print Replacement Ears. Lab-engineered muscle implants restore function in animals. User:Cathalgarvey/Books/A Beginner's Guide to Biotechnology.

Draft DIYbio Code of Ethics from European Congress. US supreme court rules human genes cannot be patented. DIY BioPrinter. Microbial Factories. Our Secret Universe. Systems & Synthetic Biology. Modern Meadow aims to print raw meat using bioprinter. Mad Scientists Offer $1,500 Shoes Made From Genetically Engineered Stingrays. Studies of Human Microbiome Yield New Insights. In pictures: Biotechnology is engineering the world. UK government backs three-person IVF. How E. coli cells work in the human gut. Afterlife: Making Rotten Food Beautiful. Hypernature.