After nine years of writing this blog in two languages, I’m putting the English version on pause. The reason is simple: AI translation is now good enough that keeping up a parallel English edition doesn’t really make sense anymore. If you want to keep following what I write about genome editing, the Italian blog is still there. Thanks to everyone who’s read my CRISPR things over the years!
You remember, right? They were created through gene editing. Almost immediately, the debate kicked off: is this really de-extinction? Are they really dire wolves? Of course, dire wolves are fictional creatures, while “de-extinction” is a neologism that can be interpreted more or less strictly. To avoid getting stuck in a semantic argument, let’s just say this was a case of recovering selected genetic traits from the genome of an extinct species that later inspired a sci-fi series. Setting the terminology aside, a year on from the New Yorker and Time articles, the real question is: how are these very special pups doing?
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Tired of illustrating articles and PowerPoint presentations on genome editing with the usual genetic scissors and Swiss Army knives? You might not know that the Innovative Genomics Institute, founded by CRISPR inventor Jennifer Doudna, offers images created by its graphic designers free of charge for educational and non-commercial use. Take a look at the Science × Art section of their website and their illustrated glossary.
Nature Biomedical Engineering has introduced a chatbot specifically designed to help beginners with their first experiments and to support experienced researchers in their work.
Since it was first described in Science in 2012, in the landmark paper by Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, the success of the CRISPR technique has been summed up with a handful of adjectives: cheap, precise, easy to use. But since everything is relative, it’s worth asking: how easy, and compared to what? When measured against previous genetic editing platforms, CRISPR is far simpler to apply. Whereas only a few highly specialized centers could once perform these experiments, with CRISPR a standard lab, the basic skills of an ordinary biologist, and solid familiarity with bioinformatics may be enough. Still, novices need guidance, and even seasoned researchers can run into problems.
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A selection of news we missed during August. Reuters reports on the controversy surrounding horses edited by Kheiron Biotech to enhance their muscles. In Argentina, veterinary reproductive technologies are cutting-edge, and the use of cloning in horse breeding is accepted. Still, for now, genetically edited animals are not allowed to compete in polo.
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I couldn’t resist—here’s how ChatGPT ‘Ghiblized’ a famous photo of Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, Nobel Prize winners for the invention of CRISPR (with sincere apologies to Master Miyazaki).
CRISPeR FRENZY 