DNA

You are a paleontologist on expedition hunting dinosaur fossils.  For all your efforts, you've unearthed just a few bone fragments. Back at the lab, you and your team determine that, based on their shape and size, you're looking at a colossal waste of time and resources. But a new tool is emerging which allows us to use dinosaur DNA to better understand prehistoric evolutionary trees. It may also help to find life on Mars, or treat human diseases. 

 

An easier way to edit genes, called CRISPR-Cas9, is revolutionizing biomedical research. But as patents and big prizes hover, some contributors to the discovery aren't getting much credit.

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.