Lifeboat Foundation

Proteins carry out many of the essential function of cells, and scientists have spent years learning about the expression of protein-coding genes. When genes are active, they are transcribed as messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules, which are then exported from the nucleus of the cell, where the DNA is kept, and into the cytoplasm, where mRNA molecules are translated into proteins. But many RNA molecules that do not code for protein are also exported from the nucleus and into the cytoplasm.

Scientists wanted to know more about what this non-coding RNA is doing, especially since it can often be found at high levels. Reporting in Nature, scientists have now used yeast cells to show that many of these non-coding RNA molecules are antisense RNAs (asRNAs), which have sequences that are complementary to mRNAs. So the right asRNA can anneal to its mRNA match. This turns out to promote the export of mRNAs from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, which boosts gene expression; a kind of “superhighway” for the transport of mRNAs is created with asRNAs to accelerate gene activity.

Robots with human skin.

In a breakthrough that isn’t at all creepy, scientists have devised a method of anchoring living human skin to robots’ faces. The technology could actually have some valuable applications, beyond making Westworld-like scenarios a reality.

Two years ago, Prof. Shoji Takeuchi and colleagues at the University of Tokyo successfully covered a motorized robotic finger with a bioengineered skin made from live human cells.

Continue reading “New technique gives robotic faces living human skin” »

The CRISPR gene-editing technique has revolutionised biology, but now an even more powerful system called bridge editing could let us completely reshape genomes.

By Michael Le Page

THE SINGULARITY IS NEARER: When We Merge With A.I., by Ray Kurzweil ______ A central conviction held by artificial intelligence boosters, but largely ignored in public discussions of the technology, is that the ultimate fulfillment of the A.I. revolution will require the deployment of microscopic robots into our veins. In the short term, A.I. may help us print clothing on demand, help prevent cancer and liberate half of the work force. But to…

Hacking my brain implant wouldn’t do much, he asserted, adding, “You might be able to see like some of the brain signals. You might be able to see some of the data that Neuralink’s collecting.”

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Norland Arbaugh did not specify the data that is being collected by Neuralink chip which is almost the size of a coin and contains thousands of electrodes that monitor and stimulate brain activity, as per the company. This information is digitally transmitted to researchers.

Using cryo-electron microscopy, the structural mechanism by which non-coding bridge RNA confers target and donor DNA specificity to IS110 recombinases for programmable DNA recombination is explored.

Summary: Researchers successfully connected lab-grown brain tissues, mimicking the complex networks found in the human brain. This novel method involves linking “neural organoids” with axonal bundles, enabling the study of interregional brain connections and their role in human cognitive functions.

The connected organoids exhibited more sophisticated activity patterns, demonstrating both the generation and synchronization of electrical activity akin to natural brain functions. This breakthrough not only enhances our understanding of brain network development and plasticity but also opens new avenues for researching neurological and psychiatric disorders, offering hope for more effective treatments.

In February 2023, Frontiers in Science published an article titled “Organoid Intelligence (OI): The New Frontier in Biocomputing and Intelligence-in-a-Dish.” Since its publication, this research has sparked significant scientific interest and gained coverage in Forbes, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC, CNN and many others.

So, what is organoid intelligence and why has this article gathered such attention?

Continue reading “Brain in a dish — the potential of organoid intelligence and biological computing” »

Our cells and the machinery inside them are engaged in a constant dance. This dance involves some surprisingly complicated choreography within the lipid bilayers that comprise cell membranes and vesicles — structures that transport waste or food within cells.

In a recent ACS Nano paper (“The Secret Ballet Inside Multivesicular Bodies”), Luis Mayorga and Diego Masone shed some light on how these vesicles self-assemble, knowledge that could help scientists design bio-inspired vesicles for drug-delivery or inspire them to create life-like synthetic materials.

A representation of multilayer lipid vesicles inspired by “Color Study: Squares with Concentric Circles,” by the artist Wassily Kandinsky. (Image: ACS Nano 2024, DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c01590)