These are the latest articles and videos I found most interesting.
- CRISPR: Gene editing and beyond
- ‘Star Wars’ parody yields insight into the battle among sperm
- Epigenetics: Why Inheritance Is Weirder Than We Thought
- Sputnik – 60 years on from the Start of the Space Race
- Phone Book from 1880
CRISPR: Gene editing and beyond
The CRISPR-Cas9 system has revolutionised gene-editing, but cutting DNA isn’t all it can do. From turning gene expression on and off to fluorescently tagging particular sequences, this animation explores some of the exciting possibilities of CRISPR.
‘Star Wars’ parody yields insight into the battle among sperm
Video by American Chemical Society
The Beginning by Harvard.edu
The “Star Wars” anthology is one of the most famous movie series ever made. So it’s no wonder that a group of Harvard researchers, in thinking about how to engage the public in science, turned to Star Wars for inspiration. But rather than intergalactic battles, the scientists-turned-movie-makers depicted a fight for supremacy — among sperm. Their project, reported in the journal ACS Nano, culminated in a short film about fertilization called “The Beginning.” ACS Headline Science takes a behind-the-scenes look.
Epigenetics: Why Inheritance Is Weirder Than We Thought
Epigenetics: genetic control by factors other than an individual’s DNA sequence
Sputnik – 60 years on from the Start of the Space Race
That simple little beep, beep, beep was the sound that started the Space Race. It’s been 60 years since they have first heard on October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 into a low Earth orbit. It was only a metal ball, 22 inches or about 56 centimetres in diameter, with four antennae sticking out of it – but it had an impact far greater than its size. In fact, it changed the course of human history.
Phone Book from 1880 – with Gareth Roberts
Video by The Royal Institution
In 1880, there were so few telephones in London that it was possible for ‘1’ to be your phone number. In this clip from the 1988 CHRISTMAS LECTURES “The home of the future”, Gareth Roberts takes a look at a small, red book – the London telephone directory from that year.
Alan Tatourian 