Category Archives: Medicine

Beyond the Controversy: How CRISPR/Cas9 Permanently Modified Molecular Biology

Posted on August 3, 2016 by almostlikescience

CRISPR/Cas9, a new, easy, and rapid genome editing technique, is at the center of heated debates over gene therapy, human embryo manipulation, and genetically-modified crops. While the most controversial applications of CRISPR/Cas9 likely will not affect the general public for years, this technique immediately and … Continue reading →

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Editing sensationalism (or: Don’t throw away your cellphone)

Posted on May 29, 2016 by almostlikescience

Earlier this week, a top story on my Google News feed caught my eye. “Report claims cellphones cause cancer!” one site blared. “Mobile phones can cause cancer,” read another headline. One was particularly bad: from the headline, to the buried critiques, to … Continue reading →

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Chimpanzees, Top Hats, and Biomedical Research

Posted on May 10, 2016 by almostlikescience

I’d heard a lot about Emma before I finally met her. I’d heard about her resourceful, clear nonverbal communication, where she seemed to use magazine pictures or toys to get her point across. I’d heard that her games were playful and varied, and her … Continue reading →

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Protecting gut bacteria: Targeted antibiotics reduce microbiome disruption in mice

Posted on May 9, 2016 by almostlikescience

Broad-spectrum antibiotics, commonly prescribed for many kinds of bacterial infections, are one of the great medical triumphs of our time. Before antibiotics, scientists had few tools to fight diseases that had affected humans for centuries; now, we can simply swallow an oral pill to … Continue reading →

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