
Taking Gene-Editing to the Next Level
Researchers who discovered a molecular “scissors” for snipping genes have now developed a similar approach for targeting and cutting RNA. The new cutting tool should help researchers better understand RNA’s role in cells and diseases, and some believe it could one day be useful in treatments for illnesses from Huntington’s to heart disease. To develop the “blades” for the process, researchers led by Feng Zhang at the Broad Institute used CRISPR (clustered regularly interspace

Evidence Grows Linking Zika, Microcephaly and Other Nerve Syndromes
Chatham House Scientists are still scrambling to get a full scientific picture of the Zika virus, but experts already know enough to be scared of it. “Strong public health actions should not wait for definitive scientific proof,” Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said Tuesday, after meeting in Geneva, Switzerland with the agency's Review Committee on Zika. New findings offer the first hint of answers about how Zika might be damaging the d