Alexander Schier simply wanted to make sure he destroyed a gene in zebrafish embryos. So like many biologists these days, he turned to the genome-editing system known as CRISPR. But Schier, a developmental biologist at Harvard University, ended up doing much more than knocking out a gene. He and colleagues devised a new way to mark and trace cells in a developing animal. In its first test, described online today in Science, the researchers used CRISPR-induced mutations to reveal a surprise: Many tissues and organs in adult zebrafish form from just a few embryonic cells.
Tag: Harvard University
Pesticide Residue In Fruits And Vegetables Associated With Low Sperm Count
Consumption of fruits and vegetables that contain relatively large amounts of pesticide residue may affect men’s sperm counts and the number of normal-looking sperm they produce, a potential factor in fertility problems, Harvard University researchers reported Monday. The study by researchers at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health, described as the first to link pesticides in fruits and vegetables to reproductive problems, leaves many questions unanswered.