Microscopic eye movements vital for 20/20 vision

Visual acuity–the ability to discern letters, numbers, and objects from a distance–is essential for many tasks, from recognizing a friend across a room to driving a car. Researchers previously assumed that visual acuity was primarily determined by the optics of the eye and the anatomy of the retina. Now, researchers from the University of Rochester–including…

New platform for composing genetic programs in mammalian cells

A new synthetic biology toolkit developed at Northwestern University will help researchers design mammalian cells with new functionalities. The toolkit, called the Composable Mammalian Elements of Transcription (COMET), includes an ensemble of synthetic transcription factors and promoters that enable the design and tuning of gene expression programs in a way not previously possible. The result…

New details on how a viral protein puts the brakes on virus replication

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Colorado State University has used computational chemistry, biochemistry and virology to uncover new information on how viruses such as West Nile, dengue and Zika replicate. Based on their research, the team said these viruses appear to cripple their own genome replication machinery. CSU researchers described the results as “surprising,”…