What if scientists could genetically alter cells to produce substances not found in nature? No, this isn’t the plot of that sci-fi flick you watched last night; it’s a remarkable scientific achievement by a group of researchers from Harvard and MIT. The new technology allows scientists to engineer large-scale changes within the genetic code of a living cell by replacing specific DNA sequences. "We're essentially programming the cell to do our bidding," said Harris Wang, one of the lead researchers on the project. "[This technology] enables us to manipulate the genome as if it’s a scaffold, and build upon it."
The innovation, Carr said, "opens up the opportunity to program new things into the genetic code," allowing scientists to create "new building blocks for the machines of life." One possible application would be to alter the genes of certain crops — such as potatoes, for instance — to make them invulnerable to viruses. Technews Daily
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