Friday, March 25th, 2022 -- Kit Parker’s team at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute has created biohybrid structures out of animal cardiac cells. Recently, they successfully created a “robofish” structure out of human cardiac cells to show how heart muscle contractions and pacemakers work. The robot fish consists of 2 layers of human cardiac cells on each side, as well as plastic and gelatin for structure. The cells on both sides of the fish allow it to “swim” by contracting

Saturday, February 26th, 2022 -- Known to most as the “wronged heroine” of the double helix structure of DNA and a victim to the presence of sexism in biotech history, Rosalind Elsie Franklin made a positive impact in the world of genetic material and viruses. Born on July 25, 1920 to a wealthy Jewish family in London, Franklin knew from a young age that she wanted to pursue a career in science. She went on to study physics and chemistry at Newnham Women's College at Cambridg

Wednesday, October 27th, 2021 -- On October 18th, researchers finally identified a chemical compound that may be suitable to serve as an active agent against several different parasites, including malaria. Tumour research has shown that blocking the protein tubulin in cancer cells prevents cells from multiplying, which can be helpful in chemotherapy. Similarly, researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen, Switzerland have applied this phenomenon to unicellula

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021 -- What are genetically modified foods and are they safe to eat? Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods that come from organisms, in this case, food crops, whose genetic material (or DNA) has been artificially altered. These modifications are generally used to help different plants resist certain diseases or pests, make them grow larger or faster, or occasionally to alter their taste. These technologies can also reduce the cost of certain fo

Saturday, August 21st, 2021 -- The idea of DNA origami has been around for years; researchers from around the world can “program” DNA to self-assemble into different shapes (like smiley faces and swirls) for different functions. In 2019, researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have shaped DNA origami into virus traps, making the possibility of a universal antiviral treatment into a reality. In DNA origami*, researchers create a “scaffold” (one entire side of

Monday, August 16th, 2021 -- With the rise of genetic modifications in plants and farm animals, many people are beginning to wonder whether it is truly ethical for these organisms to be scientifically manipulated to fit the needs of humans. Through these new advancements in biotechnology, there are many risks and ethical dilemmas that need to be considered. While most agree that genetic engineering for plants is ethical, since the plants are not living organisms, genetic engi

Wednesday, August 11th, 2021 -- The growing problem of plastics polluting oceans and filling landfills is a prevalent issue known to most individuals around the world and, considering that most plastic items take up to 1000 years to decompose, it's definitely not sustainable. In order to solve this problem, bioplastics were created. A French researcher named Maurice Lemoigne invented the very first bioplastic, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), in 1926, as a byproduct of his work wit

Sunday, July 11th, 2021 -- Most prosthetics are made to replace a part of the body that was lost, such as an arm, hand, or leg. However, designer and researcher Dani Clode designed a prosthetic that extends the human body instead of replacing parts of it. She created a 3D-printed, moveable prosthetic thumb called the “Third Thumb”. Clode and neuroscientists at the University College London are conducting a research project about human augmentation’s effects on the brain using

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2021 -- Many people might not know about the beginnings of biotechnology but in 1919, the term “biotechnology” was coined by a man named Károle “Karl” Ereky. Karl Ereky was born in Esztergom, Hungary in 1878 and worked as a professor at a university in Budapest. In 1919, Ereky wrote a book about the discipline of biotechnology in science, which allowed him to spread his knowledge about “biotechnology” throughout the world. Throughout the course of his life

Tuesday, June 15th, 2021 -- The recent COVID-19 pandemic has been at the forefront of everyone’s minds, with fears of bioterrorism circulating online. One question that has long been unanswered is the origin of the novel coronavirus that caused this pandemic. The theory that it originated from a lab-leak in Wuhan has had great media exposure, especially after a group of scientists and the Biden administration demanded further investigations into its origins. This unproven the

Friday, June 11th, 2021 -- An estimated 4.8 million ER visits are attributed to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). These injuries are often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, which can pose short-term risks, long-term risks, or even result in death. To combat this serious issue, Abbott Laboratories partnered with the US Department of Defense to work on a plasma test that can diagnose mild TBIs. The company hopes this test will be used in conjunction with current methods of diagnosis,

Friday, June 11th, 2021 -- There’s a very good chance you have heard of biotechnology, but what is it and what are its uses? In simple terms, biotechnology is a STEM field that uses living organisms or cells to develop or create products and technologies, such as biodiesel (biofuel), synthetic drugs, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Modern biotechnology is used mostly to create medicines that combat diseases, technologies that reduce our global footprint, and bioeng

Friday, June 4th, 2021 -- For the very first time, scientists from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK have developed special (bacteria) cells that are able to construct artificial polymers, from building blocks (monomers, coded by codons) that are not present in nature. In order for researchers to make this possible, they encoded specific instructions in the genes of the bacteria. Through this study, the scientists also discove