DNA

With great complexity, we manufacture things like jet airplanes, interplanetary probes, medical tools, and microprocessors. We build with a top-down approach, starting with a big picture concept which we then design and assemble in pieces.  ​

Duke University professor of computer sciences, Dr. John Reif, notes that nature works from the bottom up to assemble complex structures in three dimensions. He and his lab are working on that.

A Duke University scientist is cracking the mystery of microcephaly. How might this help in Zika research?

The New York-based doctor has sparked praise and criticism by going to Mexico and using DNA from three adults to create a child for a couple from Jordan who lost two children to a genetic disorder.

What is keeping a genetically altered super-villain bug from escaping Duke University's synthetic biology labs, and destroying humanity Holloywood-style? 

A Duke University scientist has engineered genetically altered “swarmbots” that can only survive in a swarm of their own kind. And that's just the start of it all.

An independent federal panel says the experimental procedure needs to be proven safe, and even then should only be tried with male embryos because of concerns about passing down genetic errors.

A genetic engineering technique raises hopes for eliminating diseases, such as malaria. But it is also sparking fears of unintended consequences if delicately balanced ecosystems are disrupted.

Experts say the field of forensic DNA is having a moment of truth about years of overstated claims, and it may tarnish its reputation as the "gold standard" of legal evidence.