The Sci-Fi Dream of a ‘Molecular Computer’ Is Getting More Real
The reason they could opt for a more information-dense bit is because of the physics of the reading head. When the head sticks to a -1, it contorts in a…
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synthetic biology
What If Cells Kept Receipts of Their Gene Expression?
They added the chemical that triggered the first gene (corresponding to barcode A) for 24 hours, followed by the one for the second gene (corresponding to…
Could Life Use a Longer Genetic Code? Maybe, but It’s Unlikely
As wildly diverse as life on Earth is—whether it’s a jaguar hunting down a deer in the Amazon, an orchid vine spiraling around a tree in the Congo, primitive…
The Most Complete Simulation of a Cell Probes Life’s Hidden Rules
From the bizarre creatures in the depths of the oceans to the bacteria inside our bodies, all life on Earth consists of cells. But we have only a very rough…
Can Synthetic Palm Oil Help Save the World’s Tropical Forests?
Over Zoom, Kelleher showed off a bluish photo of Xylome’s proprietary yeast strain, developed from an oil-producing species called Lipomyces starkeyi.…
DNA Has Four Bases. Some Viruses Swap in a Fifth
But the biggest surprise was that the viruses had a polymerase enzyme dedicated to pairing Z bases with T’s during DNA replication. “It was like a fairy…