Genetics & Evolution — Posts

28 posts on "Genetics & Evolution" by Shlomo Strauss — bilingual writing on technology, science, and business.

Google uses AI and Wolbachia bacteria to fight deadly mosquitoes — Google combats deadly diseases by releasing millions of AI-sorted, bacteria-infected male mosquitoes designed to crash local mosquito populations.
How Camelid Nanobodies Are Reshaping Snake Antivenom Development — Researchers are using camelid nanobodies to create stable, highly effective snake antivenoms that can be mass-produced in the lab.
Harnessing Bacterial Self-Destruction to Target Cancer Cells — University of Utah researchers adapted a bacterial defense mechanism to selectively destroy cancer cells' DNA without harming healthy tissue.
Sugar cane: from white sugar to jet fuel and nano-cellulose — The world's highest-yield crop produces far more than table sugar — its byproducts include bioplastics, sustainable aviation fuel, Lego pieces, and…
Biological mini-brains as computers: inside FinalSpark's experiment — Swiss startup FinalSpark grows human brain cells on electrodes and trains them with dopamine to perform computing tasks at roughly one-millionth the…
From banana leaves to the lab: the science behind chocolate — A breakdown of the fermentation process that turns raw cacao into chocolate, alongside the lab-grown cacao technology that could reshape the global…
One cashew tree that spans the area of 70 — the genetic secret behind — A record-holding cashew tree in Brazil owes its grove-sized spread to two rare genetic mutations that cause its branches to root upon touching the ground.
Superbugs, antibiotic resistance, and the AI hunting new cures — Overuse of antibiotics, especially in China, is accelerating the rise of untreatable superbugs — and AI models trained on billions of molecules may be…
How salt kills living cells, and the statistics behind osmosis — A concise explanation of osmosis, why high salt concentration outside a cell causes its death, and how certain organisms survive in extreme saline…
Extremophiles: life forms that thrive where others cannot survive — From cold-adapted enzymes in laundry detergents to heat-loving microbes in a Gobi Desert hot spring, this piece explores how extremophiles work and why…
Why skin darkens in the sun, and what an orange shark has to do with — A clear look at how melanin and carotenoids protect living cells from UV radiation, illustrated by a rare shark observed off Costa Rica with both albinism
Methane: from swamp gas to Saturn's moon and a crater that won't stop — A concise explainer on methane covering its biological origins, its role shaping Titan's landscape, and the Darvaza crater that has burned since 1971.
Smarter but weaker: the evolutionary trade-off driving human decline — As cognitive gains push physical capabilities into decline, the piece argues we are heading toward a future where survival depends on machines fused with…
Where true randomness comes from and why it matters for encryption — A practical look at true versus pseudo-random number generation, the hardware and software methods behind it, and the real-world consequences of getting…
Carbon: the element that makes life possible and threatens it — From DNA to fossil fuels and carbon monoxide poisoning, a concise look at the chemistry that makes carbon both essential to life and a source of serious…
Bioluminescence: from glowing cave larvae to self-lit street trees — The luciferase-luciferin reaction behind New Zealand's glowing cave worms also points toward engineered luminescent trees as a future alternative to…
The ring-wing aircraft and the physics of wingless edges — Wingtip vortices waste up to 40% of an aircraft's energy, and Lockheed's ring-wing concept offers a structural solution rooted in basic physics.
Duck flocks as pest control: a low-tech farming method with — A traditional Asian practice of releasing duck flocks into rice paddies boosts soil fertility, suppresses weeds, and according to a 2013 study of 1,000…
Soap bubbles, surface tension and Plateau's laws: the physics of — From the Laplace equation to Plateau's 120-degree rule, this post explains how surface tension and energy minimization shape soap bubbles, honeycombs, and
A composer's lab-grown brain cells are making music in a gallery — Organoids grown from composer Alvin Lucier's blood cells now generate sound from electrical signals, raising questions about authorship and what art…
Why penguins waddle, and what it has to do with pendulums — A penguin's distinctive waddle adds a lateral pendulum dimension to its gait, enabling up to 20% greater energy efficiency compared to human walking.
CRISPR gave a female mosquito a male proboscis and ended her ability — Using CRISPR gene editing, researchers altered the proboscis of a female mosquito to resemble a male's, stripping her of the ability to bite and draw…
A robotic hand grown from living tendons reaches 18 cm — Researchers at the University of Tokyo embedded lab-grown tendon tissue into a 3D-printed hand that can grip objects, control individual fingers, and…
Cryogenic freezing: how close is science to reviving the dead? — A new protein from silkworm eggs enabled researchers to revive frozen mouse brain cells, yet reviving an entire human body remains scientifically out of…
Colossal Biosciences raises $200 million to bring back the woolly — The Texas startup is editing African elephant DNA with CRISPR to resurrect extinct species, drawing both excitement about reproductive medicine and…
Lab-grown heart tissue beats like the real thing — Using pluripotent stem cells, scientists grow beating cardiac tissue in the lab — a breakthrough for drug testing, even as a full artificial heart remains
The OpenAI model built to add a decade to human lifespan — OpenAI partnered with Retro Biosciences to build a protein-simulation model that could improve cellular reprogramming success rates 50-fold, advancing a…
A brain implant built from the patient's own neurons aims to outdo — Science, founded by Neuralink's former president, is developing brain implants grown from a patient's own stem cells, potentially reducing rejection risk…