editors’ picks

Another week, another warning about the growing power and peril of genomic modification. Last time, the topic was using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing method to alter the human germ line (a group of researchers promptly published on how they did just this). Now, a new commentary in Nature takes up the implications of using modified yeast to produce controlled substances such as opiates.

Cell division is a complicated process that requires not only cell growth and division but also faithful replication of the mother cell genome. These processes need to be timed appropriately to end up with two viable daughter cells. In eukaryotic cells cell cycle progression is controlled by oscillating proteins called cyclins that bind and activate cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks).

Traditional treatment for cancer often focuses on killing the malignant cells through radiotherapy or chemotherapy. However, researchers at Oregon State University are investigating the use of pactamycin analogs to inhibit proliferation and induce senescence of head and neck cancer cells — essentially putting them “to sleep” rather than killing them directly.

Large amounts of plastics are entering our oceans, with especially high levels found near coastal cities and, most famously, in the Great Pacific garbage patch. But what are the effects of all this plastic on the life that makes up ocean ecosystems? A new review looks at just how scientists are answering this question, from measuring these pollutants to understanding their interactions with biological systems.

Researchers have used “knockout” mice for decades to study how loss of gene function contributes to diseases. Recently, researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center (UT Health) at Houston have investigated this gene-disease relationship using naturally occurring “knockout humans.”

Nature Publishing Group has recently introduced a new, free journal dedicated to Parkinson’s disease (PD). This new open-access journal aims to present both the latest research findings and advances on PD, as well as ideas and options for care and treatment, and information on drugs and clinical trials. The journal will also have brief summaries of research work presented in a manner that is easily understood by anybody seeking information on this disease.

Scientists at Duke University have developed a simple method for fine-tuning antibiotic dosing protocols that could allow use of antibiotics that have been all but abandoned. Computer models and preliminary laboratory work suggest that by determining a pathogen’s recovery time after exposure to an antibiotic, a dosing regimen can be established that allows clearing of what at present are considered resistant strains.

Mammograms have been used for nearly six decades to screen for breast cancer. However, a new blood test may accurately detect breast cancer years before it develops, according to a recently published article in Metabolomics.

In a recently published paper in Science, scientists at the Salk Institute and Chinese Academy of Sciences showed that Werner syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that leads to premature aging, is caused by a deterioration of DNA bundles known as heterochromatin.