Fresh Science

Oyime Poise Aula – PhD, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute First ever rapid, cheap, bedside DNA test developed for parasitic diseases The first rapid, cheap and easy DNA-based test for parasitic diseases has been developed to improve the lives of billions of marginalized people. Ms Oyime Poise Aula, from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, created…

CRISPR lets scientists directly edit the DNA of cells. While powerful, the technology can be challenging to apply: some edits to sites are less effective, with the underlying DNA remaining unchanged. But it’s a process or trial and error, costing researchers time and money as they search for the best site to manipulate the genome.…

Important parts of our DNA don’t get easily repaired after being exposed to sunlight, cancer scientists at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have shown. The findings, published in Nature, help researchers to understand how and why mutations accumulate in certain parts of our DNA. Dr Rebecca Poulos and colleagues studied mutations in the…

Kyle Ewart has developed a test that can identify whether a horn is rhino or not – fast enough to allow police to prosecute poachers, traders and customers. Kyle’s DNA-based species identification test can distinguish whether a seized wildlife product is in fact rhino horn, and identify which rhino species the horn comes from. There…