Metaphorically speaking
Andrew Reynolds, a Professor of philosophy, discusses numerous such examples of the use of metaphors in the areas of genetics, protein science, cell biology, evolution, and medicine. Lay-friendly - but competent - explanations of the scientific background take up a large fraction of this small-format book of under 200 pages.
Editing life
Author Matthew Cobb presents an exceptionally well-informed account of the phenomenal development of genetic engineering over the past seven decades. Modern genetics is now rightly celebrated for its many major triumphs, however, certain applications of genetics in the past have been far from principled.
Graphene ripples surprise
The textbook picture of graphene as a flat surface is wrong. Instead, graphene contains nanoripples, which explains why it can act as a strong catalyst, according to Andre Geim at the University of Manchester, UK.
Clean tech ambitions
The European Commission has finally unveiled the legislative proposal known as the Net Zero Industry Act, which aims to increase Europe’s competitiveness in the global clean technology race. It sets a goal for the EU to produce at least 40% of the technology needed to achieve its climate and energy targets by 2030.
Insulin conundrum
Insulin may not be working in diabetes as expected, according to researchers. Now, a study with an advanced single molecule microscope has revealed some surprises.
Chikungunya vaccine
A vaccine against chikungunya disease could be just a few years away, researchers say; and it can’t come soon enough. Transmitted by mosquitoes, infection with chikungunya virus results in fever and severe joint pain. WHO has classified chikungunya as a major public health risk, currently affecting more than a billion people worldwide.
Animal vax centre
A UK centre is to be set up to accelerate the development of animal vaccines to take on emerging and urgent infectious diseases. The new Centre for Veterinary Vaccine Innovation and Manufacturing (CVIM) will be based at the Pirbright Institute in Surrey, UK, and funded by a non-profit organisation and government.
Protein origami
Artificial intelligence technology AlphaFold has reached the point of being able to predict the folded structure of any protein with reasonable accuracy. But is the folded structure really everything? Michael Gross reports.