Category Archives: Genetics

Kiss Me Under the Parasitic Angiosperm

Posted on 18 December 2015 by mmmbitesizescience

Mistletoe is held in high regard at this time of year. No Christmas decorations are complete without a garland of cheerful mistletoe hanging on the door, or suspended prettily from the rafters as an incentive for festive romance. In nature, … Continue reading →

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Posted in Genetics, Plants, Science, The Environment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pumping out Petrol with Bioengineered Bugs

Posted on 2 November 2013 by mmmbitesizescience

One of the terribly tricky questions in this ol’ world of ours is how to sustain a species that likes to extract toxic crude oil from the ground and use it in a way that’s disturbingly damaging to the environment … Continue reading →

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Posted in Bacteria, Bioengineering, Genetics, Microorganisms, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Clouds of decoy viruses help cure genetic disease

Posted on 19 July 2013 by mmmbitesizescience

The presence of foreign objects, like viruses, in our bloodstream is usually a bad thing. Evolution has created some extremely efficient immune cells that patrol the blood, seeking out material that should not be there, and shutting it down. Sometimes, … Continue reading →

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Posted in Disease, Genetics, Medicine, Microorganisms, Science, Viruses | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gene therapy using stem cells prevents inherited diseases

Posted on 17 July 2013 by mmmbitesizescience

Originally written for The Conversation. Genetic traits like a bulbous nose or balding give some people reasons to moan about what they inherited from their parents. But more serious genetic flaws can cause debilitating disease. Now, Italian researchers have come … Continue reading →

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Posted in Disease, Genetics, Medicine, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A huge variety of fungi call your feet home

Posted on 29 June 2013 by mmmbitesizescience

Human skin is a hardy, water-resistant covering that keeps important biological stuff from falling out of the body. It’s also a camping ground for millions of bacteria (picked out in magenta, above), fungi (seen in blue-green, above) and yeast that … Continue reading →

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Posted in Disease, Fungi, Genetics, Medicine, Microorganisms, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment