Category Archives: Genetic Engineering

Words of Wisdom from Dr. Jane Goodall on Genetic Engineering supporting I-522
Jane Goodall, Ph. D., DBE Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute UN Messenger of Peace http://www.janegoodall.org ...

By: GMOLabelSpokane

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Words of Wisdom from Dr. Jane Goodall on Genetic Engineering supporting I-522 - Video

Genetic Engineering and Climate Change - SGC Search for Solutions
Tugman, L. 23 March 2012. Genetically Engineered Rice To Cut Greenhouse Gases. THV11. 30 October 2013. http://www.thv11.com/news/article/203411/288/Genetical...

By: Gunnar Staples

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Genetic Engineering and Climate Change - SGC Search for Solutions - Video

Some of the biggest discoveries in science often hide away in plain sight for many years before their importance is fully realised. This is certainly true of Crispr (pronounced crisper), which has taken the world of genetics by storm.

Crispr stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, a devilishly contrived acronym which just about sums up why it was ignored for so long. For nearly two decades after Japanese researchers first discovered Crispr in bacteria in 1987, scientists mostly dismissed it as junk DNA.

In fact, the apparently nonsensical sequences within Crispr, which were repeated in palindromic order (the same backwards as forwards), did have a purpose and were far from junk. About six years ago, scientists discovered that these DNA sequences matched the genetic sequences of various viruses that attack bacteria, which led to the discovery of a sophisticated bacterial immune system.

Far from being junk, Crispr was actually a way of storing the genetic information of an invading virus in the form of a palindromic DNA sequence. The bacteria used this genetic memory to target the viral invader by chopping it up with powerful Crispr-associated (CAS) enzymes capable of cleaving its DNA molecule, just like a pair of molecular scissors.

The mystery of Crispr was finally resolved by Jennifer Doudna of the University of California, Berkeley, a specialist in RNA, the smaller molecular cousin of DNA. About seven years ago, she was asked by a university colleague to look into this genetic peculiarity of bacteria and quickly became fascinated.

The more we looked into it, the more it seemed extremely interesting, Professor Doudna said. Then, in 2011, she met Emmanuelle Charpentier of Umea University in Sweden at a scientific conference. Professor Charpentier told Professor Doudna of another kind of Crispr system that seemed to rely on a single gene, now called CAS9.

Both professors collaborated on the project and in August last year published what is now considered the seminal paper showing that CAS9 was an enzyme capable of cutting both strands of a DNA double helix at precisely the point dictated by a programmable RNA sequence in other words, an RNA molecule that could be made to order. We found that CAS9 has the ability to make a double-stranded break in DNA at sites that are programmed by a small RNA molecule. What was so important was that we could really show how the CAS9 protein worked, Professor Doudna said.

Not only were we able to work out how it worked, we were able to reprogramme it to recognise new DNA sequences. If it could be made to work in eukaryote systems plants and animals then youd have a system where you could effectively decide where to produce a double-stranded break in that cells genome.

It not only worked on plants and animals, it worked beautifully. Professors Doudna and Charpentier had found the holy grail of genetic engineering a method of cutting and stitching DNA accurately and simply anywhere in a complex genome. Until now, this was carried out by modified viruses, which inserted their DNA at random, or by elaborately cumbersome techniques known as zinc fingers or Talens.

You can actually introduce new genetic information at the site of cleavage. So it has become a powerful way of doing genetic engineering. Its a fundamentally different way of recognising DNA target sites, Professor Doudna said.

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Biochemist Jennifer Doudna hailed for discovery of ‘holy grail’ of genetic engineering

Consumers who want to know if their food contains genetically modified ingredients can thank Ronnie Cummins for his efforts to slap labels saying as much on everything from taco chips to coffee cake.

Food companies can blame him for playing to what many consider misguided fears, costing them money with new labels and scaring consumers; after all, GM ingredients are everywhere in the grocery store.

Cummins and his Minnesota-based Organic Consumers Association have been instrumental in making GM labeling a prominent national food issue. Next month, voters in Washington will be the latest to consider whether GM-containing foods should be labeled as such in their state.

"This is the most important battle in 20 years in the battle against genetic engineering," Cummins said. "If they pass it, it will have national repercussions."

It's a close contest, with pro-labelers in the lead, polls show. The vote follows a similar referendum in California last year that was narrowly defeated, and by pro-labeling initiatives passed by the Connecticut and Maine legislatures earlier this year, albeit with big caveats.

U.S. food safety agencies years ago approved the genetically engineered crops in use today, and they've gotten the imprimatur of many prominent science and medical groups. Still, calls for labeling -- once thought to be a lost cause -- by activists like the firebrand Cummins have grown as concerns over GM ingredients have lingered.

"A lot of people thought they had no chance, that it was really a fool's errand," said Ben Lilliston, a vice president at the Minneapolis-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. "They achieved some things that a lot of people didn't think were possible." Lilliston wrote a book with Cummins called "Genetically Engineered Food: A Self-Defense Guide for Consumers."

Based in the northeast Minnesota hamlet of Finland, the Organic Consumers Association is Cummins' baby, the apex of a lifelong career of liberal activism. The 67-year-old started by protesting the war in Vietnam and went on to battle everything from nuclear proliferation to the Flavr Savr tomato -- the first GM food to be licensed for human consumption.

The Organic Consumers Association helped mobilize citizens in California last year to get a labeling referendum on the ballot. The group was one of the largest donors to California pro-labeling forces, ponying up about $1 million beyond initial mobilization efforts.

In Washington this year, the Organic Consumers Association had raised $700,000, according to Washington state government records. Those contributions come mostly from donations of less than $100 from thousands of the group's members.

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Activist wants food labels to disclose genetic engineering

Educational Apps QVprep Lite Learn genetics and genetic engineering app video part 1 introduction
QVprep Lite Genetic Engineering is FREE and has limited content. The app gives you the option to buy the paid QVprep Genetic Engineering app which has exhaus...

By: Deep Larry

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Educational Apps QVprep Lite Learn genetics and genetic engineering app video part 1 introduction - Video

SAQ (4.4) Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology - IB SL Biology Past Exam Paper 2 Questions
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SAQ (4.4) Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology - IB SL Biology Past Exam Paper 2 Questions - Video

GENETIC ENGINEERING ANIMATIC

By: Leena Zaher

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GENETIC ENGINEERING ANIMATIC - Video

(4.4) Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology - IB SL Biology Past Exam Paper 1 Questions
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(4.4) Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology - IB SL Biology Past Exam Paper 1 Questions - Video

Genetic Engineering as a course choice after 12th
This Video suggests Genetic Engineering as a course that can be done after doing 12th (10+2).

By: Indiaeduinfo

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Genetic Engineering as a course choice after 12th - Video

Genetic Engineering, Malaria and Artemisinin
A video made to explain a way to make Artemisinin using Genetic Engineering.

By: Duskinator

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Genetic Engineering, Malaria and Artemisinin - Video