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Revolutionary gene therapy sparks debate Prof Yash
Pal A pedal assist that locks, tracks, and powers your bike Higgs feared ‘God particle’ discovery would be exaggerated
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Revolutionary gene therapy sparks debate One Nobel scientist, Craig Mello of the University of Massachusetts, said that the “jaw-dropping” technique has the potential to transform the study and manipulation of genes and “lowers the barrier” to genetic engineering of human IVF embryos – something he would oppose. Professor George Church of Harvard University, who was the first scientist to get the process working in human cells and mouse embryos, said that it was important to air the social and ethical implications of the technique to the wider public. “Talking about the future is better than letting it sneak up on us. We need to do more of this or we will be left with very limited vocabulary in the space between positive and negative hype,” Professor Church said. Professor Robin Lovell-Badge of the National Institute for Medical Research in Mill Hill, north London, said there needs to be a full and frank debate over the science, ethics and policy surrounding the development of new techniques to manipulate the human genome. “The techniques are amazing and it was very appropriate to highlight them and begin the debate about how they should be used in humans,” Professor Lovell-Badge said. “But it is far too early to contemplate using these methods to alter the human germline [sperm, eggs and embryos]. Indeed, it would be illegal to do so in the UK and many other countries,” he said. “However, what is clear is that the new methods deserve proper consideration and debate, and not just either hype or condemnation, so that the wonderful opportunities they present can be applied sensibly and with public support,” he added. The CRISPR technique has developed rapidly since last year when Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, first demonstrated how it can be used in genetic engineering. Scientists have since shown that it works well on human cells and mouse embryos and are talking about the possibility of refining it for gene therapy trials on patients with HIV and inherited disorders such as sickle-cell anaemia and Huntington’s disease. Professor Dagan Wells, an IVF researcher at Oxford University, said that although there is still a long way to go before CRISPR could even be considered for use on IVF embryos, the technique could overcome many of the objections to permanently altering the germline of families affected by inherited disorders “If the new method is as precise as has been suggested then concerns about inducing inadvertent, detrimental changes to the genome might start to subside. In that case, permanently fixing a lethal genetic defect might not seem so controversial,” Professor Wells said. “However, I’m sure there will be some concern about the possibility that the technology could be used for ‘enhancement’ rather than repair, veering from medicine towards eugenics,” he warned. “I think it’s important to stress that the therapeutic potential of this sort of genetic microsurgery is yet to be proven. Additionally, a significant amount of work will need to be done to assess the safety of the method before it can be used clinically. Still, the potential seems enormous,” he added. — The Independent
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Why do most humans and animals sleep at night? The reason is obvious because most living things hunt and work when they can see, i.e., during daytime. Therefore, they do not choose daytime for sleeping. There are some exceptions of course. Bats do not need day light for seeing and finding their way around, so they do not sleep during the night. Their ultrasound radar works equally well during the night. I suppose we could also classify mosquitoes as night marauders, as we all experience. While discussing all this, we do assume that some portion of the living period of all animals has to be reserved for giving rest to the brain and sensing system. It is not surprising that we choose the nighttime as the rest time to sleep for a significant part of our living system for rest and recuperation. Readers can e-mail questions to Prof Yash Pal at palyash.pal@gmail.com
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A pedal assist that locks, tracks, and powers your bike FOR the environmentally conscious among us who choose to cycle to work and are tired of turning up a sweaty, panting mess, a firm in the US has developed something that might be of interest. FlyKly, a firm based in New York, America, has developed the Smart Wheel, a pedal assist which aims to help cyclists ride their bikes “effortlessly”. According to FlyKly, the wheel, which has a lightweight 250W motor and battery attached to it, will fit “practically any bicycle frame”, and comes in a variety of different sizes and colours. Using the accompanying FlyKly app, the motor can be set to a desired top speed for riding – speeds of up to 20mph are possible. Once the app gets to know your regular cycle routes, it will also be able to suggest quicker and safer routes. The Smart Wheel can be charged within a few hours, and even recharges when you cycle downhill. While cycling, the bike generates just enough energy to power a small light mounted to the bike. When it comes to protecting the wheel, the motor can be remotely locked via a companion app, and, in the unfortunate event of your fancy new bike wheel getting stolen, it can be tracked on a smartphone using GPS. The Smart Wheel’s app even monitors your regular routes, offering faster or more scenic paths for you to take, and a clip on light that is also included acts as both a dock and charger for your smartphone. At the moment the Smart Wheel is currently only a prototype. To generate the funds needed to put the wheel into mass production, FlyKly has taken its campaign to the crowdfunding website Kickstarter. The initial $1,00,000 goal was achieved some time ago and now, at the time of writing, the new $400,000 target has just been hit. With this new level of funding, the firm are able to develop a motor brake for the wheel. If the level of funding reaches $5,00,000, then the Smart Wheel will be made to glow in the dark. As would be expected, those looking to buy a Smart Wheel will have to part with a fairly considerable amount of money — $590 is the current offer. — The Independent
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Higgs feared ‘God particle’ discovery would be exaggerated GOD particle scientist Peter Higgs has said he feared the major scientific discovery was being exaggerated to sound more important than it actually was when it was first announced to the world. Prof Higgs, who launched the £1 million Collider exhibition at London’s Science Museum earlier this week, predicted the existence of the Higgs Boson in 1964. Because of its fundamental importance in giving all other particles mass, it was dubbed the “God particle”. A particle confirmed as being a type of Higgs Boson was finally detected last year by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) — a giant atom-smashing machine near Geneva, Switzerland. The find earned the Edinburgh professor a share in the Nobel Prize in Physics. Prof Higgs said the public’s fascination with the collider, which was roughly the same size as London Underground’s Circle Line, and the God particle was something even he could not explain. “I was quite worried at one time the importance of the discovery of this particular particle was being overplayed,” he said. “Because it was put in the background of all the other things the LHC is supposed to do and I thought it was not such a good idea. “So, I can’t really explain why it happened, but it seemed to have sparked an interest.” Prof Higgs said the collider could potentially detect dark matter, which will be its main aim when it is turned on again in 2015. The existence of dark matter was the most pressing question in fundamental physics he wanted an answer to, he said. Dark matter is a type of matter hypothesised to account for a large part of the mass that appears to be missing from the universe. The Nobel laureate said it was up to scientists to explain their work more clearly for it to be better understood by the general public. But he said education “works both ways” and a lay person would benefit by gaining a better understanding of physics. Prof Higgs was also quick to acknowledge the work of Professor Tom Kibble, who was also involved in advancing the Higgs Boson concept. He said Prof Kibble should have been awarded the Nobel Prize alongside himself and Francois Englert. “What he wrote in 1967... was a bridge from my very simple model of 1964,” he said. “His role was important and I think, perhaps, it’s a shame that’s he’s been missed out.” The Collider exhibition is set up to mimic the design of the LHC and the offices of the scientists behind the Higgs Boson’s discovery using a mixture of theatre, video and sound art. It also includes real LHC artefacts, including a two-tonne part of the 15m high magnets that steer the particle beams at almost the speed of light and a crystal that measures the particles’ energy. — The Independent
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Pop music helps solar panels produce more electricity
WASHINGTON: Researchers have developed certain type of solar cells which can convert sunlight into electricity more efficiently when exposed to acoustic vibrations of pop music. Steve Dunn at Queen Mary University in London and James Durrant at Imperial College London are working on zinc oxide solar panels, a cheaper, more flexible variant of traditional silicon-based solar cells, Live Science reported. However, the only drawback is that its efficiency is just 1.2 per cent, a small fraction of what silicon is capable of. Hunger affects people’s attitude towards poor WASHINGTON: A new study has shown that hunger affects our attitudes towards the welfare of the poor. According to the research, when hungry people state their support of the welfare system, it is not so much a reflection of their concern for the poor; rather it is a strategy for securing further resources for themselves. The study showed that people who are hungry are more inclined to be supportive of the welfare state and help the poor. The study has been published in journal Psychological Science. — Agencies
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SCIENTISTS are calling for a wider public debate on a new development in genetics that could allow the simple and accurate manipulation of the human genome. The technique, known as CRISPR, could revolutionise human gene therapy and genetic engineering because it allows scientists for the first time to make the finest changes to the DNA of the chromosomes with relative ease.