Today big, game-changing ideas are less common. New and improved techniques are the driving force behind modern scientific research and discoveries. They allow scientists—including chemists like me—to do our experiments faster than before, and they shine light on areas of science hidden to our predecessors.
Three cutting-edge techniques—the gene-editing tool CRISPR, fluorescent proteins, and optogenetics—were all inspired by nature. Biomolecular tools that have worked for bacteria, jellyfish, and algae for millions of years are now being used in medicine and biological research. Directly or indirectly, they will change the lives of everyday people.
Bacterial defense systems as genetic editors
Bacteria and viruses battle themselves and one another. They are at constant biochemical war, competing for scarce resources.
One of the weapons that bacteria have in their arsenal is the CRISPR-Cas system. It is a genetic library consisting of short repeats of DNA gathered over time from…
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Source : fastcompany.com
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