BioBits™ Health is an educational kit for teaching antibiotic resistance and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in classrooms, made possible by the development of user-friendly lab activities based on freeze-dried, cell-free reactions and supporting curricula. BioBits™ applications are now being developed at miniPCR Bio, and will soon be available at the miniPCR store! Learn more about BioBits™. Artwork by […]
Student-led experiment edits yeast genes to study DNA repair in space May 23, 2019, Cambridge, MA – For the first time, astronauts have used CRISPR/Cas9 technology to edit DNA in space. The gene editing technique was deployed on the International Space Station (ISS) to induce targeted breaks in the yeast genome. Molecular changes left behind as yeast […]
PLoS One. 2019 May 9;14(5):e0215642. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215642. eCollection 2019. González-González E1,2, Mendoza-Ramos JL1,2, Pedroza SC1,3, Cuellar-Monterrubio AA1,3, Márquez-Ipiña AR1,2, Lira-Serhan D3, Trujillo-de Santiago G1,3, Alvarez MM1,2. Author information Abstract The development of point-of-care (POC) diagnostic systems has received well-deserved attention in recent years in the scientific literature, and many experimental systems show great promise in real settings. However, in the case of an epidemic emergency […]
by Melissa Gaskill, NASA. Earth’s atmosphere shields life on the ground from cosmic radiation that can damage DNA. Astronauts in space have no such protection, and that puts them at risk. An investigation on the International Space Station examines DNA damage and repair in space in order to help protect the long-term health of space travelers. An organism […]
Research could help protect astronauts from radiation damage on long missions to deep space KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (May 3, 2019) – The winners of the 2018 Genes in Space competition, Aarthi Vijayakumar, 17, Michelle Sung, 17, Rebecca Li, 17, and David Li, 18, of Minnesota, will see their DNA experiment launch to the International Space Station (ISS) […]
Add some fluorescent spice to your old leaf chromatography lab. If you teach or learn biology, you have likely performed some version of leaf chromatography. In its best form, leaf chromatography can clearly separate the distinct pigments that give leaves their color. In its more common classroom variation, leaf chromatography shows a smudge of green […]
P51™ Glow enzyme lab lights up NGSS and AP Biology Standards. If you are at all familiar with AP Biology curriculum, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), or just science teaching best practices, you know that inquiry is the way to go. Students learn material best when they struggle to reach answers, and in the process, […]
Wisconsin Fast Plants® have been a staple of Biology classrooms for decades. With short generation times, high productivity, and many distinct visual phenotypes, generations of students have used Fast Plants® to study a variety of topics ranging from Mendelian genetics, to artificial selection, to energy flow through ecosystems. But as molecular techniques such as PCR […]
Genes in Space research has been published, again! The experiment designed by Alia Almansoori, winner of the first international Genes in Space Contest, was published today in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE. Harvard scientist Dr. Tessa Montague and the Genes in Space team mentored Alia through the design, execution, and interpretation of her experiment. In addition to watching […]
“I love the simplicity of minPCR…after all, if astronauts can do this, anyone can!! Astronauts are not typically molecular biologists. Right?” — Brenda Bott. Coordinator/Teacher. Shawnee Mission School District Biotechnology Signature Program. Center for Academic Achievement. Indeed, Brenda! Astronauts are multi-talented jacks of all trades, but rarely are they masters of molecular biology — notable exceptions include US astronauts Dr. Peggy […]
