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The future of crop engineering

Scientists aim to boost photosynthesis to meet the increasing global demand for food by engineering its key enzyme Rubisco. Now, researchers have succeeded in producing functional plant Rubisco in a bacterium. This allows genetic engineering of the enzyme.

Dec 8th, 2017

DNA has gone digital - what could possibly go wrong?

Biology is becoming increasingly digitized. Researchers like us use computers to analyze DNA, operate lab equipment and store genetic information. But new capabilities also mean new risks - and biologists remain largely unaware of the potential vulnerabilities that come with digitizing biotechnology.

Dec 7th, 2017

Algae could feed and fuel planet with aid of new high-tech tool

Vast quantities of medicines and renewable fuels could be produced by algae using a new gene-editing technique, a study suggests.

Dec 7th, 2017

Scientists create successful mass production system for bioengineered livers

Technology overcomes hurdles to making human liver tissues for patient transplant.

Dec 5th, 2017

Researchers generate electricity from low-cost biomaterial

Researchers squeeze low-cost electricity from sustainable biomaterial.

Dec 4th, 2017

Computer analysis fills gaps in antibody blueprint

Antibodies consist of proteins with attached sugars. However, the blueprint directing the processing of these sugars on the protein was not well understood until now. Scientists used computer analysis to complete this blueprint and confirmed their findings in the laboratory.

Nov 30th, 2017

Organs on microchips for safe drug testing

Miniaturized organs on a chip enable drug tests prior to application to humans. Researchers have developed such an organ-on-a-chip system with accurately modeled blood vessels.

Nov 30th, 2017

World's smallest tape recorder is built from microbes (w/video)

Microscopic data recorder takes advantage of CRISPR to monitor biological surroundings.

Nov 23rd, 2017

Scientists find key to regenerating blood vessels

Findings may lead to therapies to repair ischemic tissue.

Nov 23rd, 2017

Report highlights opportunities and risks associated with synthetic biology and bioengineering

Human genome editing, 3D-printed replacement organs and artificial photosynthesis - the field of bioengineering offers great promise for tackling the major challenges that face our society. But as a new article highlights, these developments provide both opportunities and risks in the short and long term.