How synthetic biologists are building better biofactories

[ad_1] Scientists have used microorganisms to produce beneficial chemicals for decades. By providing the microbes with enzymes and metabolic pathways, researchers can coax cells to churn out everything from food additives to biofuels. One advantage of biomanufacturing is ecological: the processes are generally more environmentally friendly than are chemical manufacturing methods. But it’s expensive, mainly […]

what it means for the future

[ad_1] A pig kidney is unpacked for transplant into 62-year-old Richard Slayman of Massachusetts.Credit: Massachusetts General Hospital Early success in the first transplant of a pig kidney into a living person has raised researchers’ hopes for larger clinical trials involving pig organs. Such trials could bring ‘xenotransplantation’, the use of animal organs in human recipients, […]

what I learnt from using a time-tracking spreadsheet

[ad_1] By monitoring where she spent her time, Megan Rogers could improve her working hours and track her achievements.Credit: Getty Starting a tenure-track faculty position can be daunting, with several seemingly equally important responsibilities competing for time. These include establishing a laboratory, launching research studies, writing grant applications, publishing papers and preparing and teaching courses. […]

Indigenous Australian fire-stick farming began at least 11,000 years ago

[ad_1] Northern Australian elder George Milpurrurr shows the next generation how to do a cultural burn.Credit: Penny Tweedie/Alamy Indigenous Australians have been using fire to shape the country’s northern ecosystems for at least 11,000 years, according to charcoal preserved in the sediment of a sinkhole. The study was published on 11 March in Nature Geoscience1. […]