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Swiss robots planning to build houses using 3D printers

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ETH Zürich, a university in Switzerland, has unveiled a plan to build a three-storey house – dubbed DFab House – using robots and 3D printing. (See video below.) 

Structural engineers and sustainability experts from ETH Zürich have teamed up with business partners on the project, which is designed to bring numerous building technologies from research labs into the real world.

The project is overseen by the National Centre of Competence in Research Digital Fabrication, and its architects, robotics specialists, and materials scientists.  [Read more…] about Swiss robots planning to build houses using 3D printers

Genome surgery with CRISPR-Cas9 to prevent blindness

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IBS study proves that CRISPR-Cas9 can be delivered directly into the eye of living animals to treat age-related macular degeneration efficiently and safely

It is estimated that almost one in every ten people over 65 has some signs of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and its prevalence is likely to increase as a consequence of the aging population. AMD is a form of blindness, common in Caucasians, which causes distorted vision and blind spots.

Scientists at the Center for Genome Engineering, within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) report the use of CRISPR-Cas9 in performing “gene surgery” in the layer of tissue that supports the retina of living mice. Published in Genome Research, this study combines basic research and mouse model applications.

The most common retinopathies causing blindness are “retinopathy of prematurity” in children, “diabetic retinopathy” and “AMD” in older adults. In these diseases, abnormally high levels of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) are secreted. [Read more…] about Genome surgery with CRISPR-Cas9 to prevent blindness

Scientists develop genetic path to tastier tomatoes

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tomatoes
Picture credit: UF/IFAS

Some consumers crave tastier tomatoes than those available at the supermarket.

Now, scientists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and their partners have found a way to get tomatoes to produce the compounds that make them more flavorful.

Their findings were published today in the journal Science. [Read more…] about Scientists develop genetic path to tastier tomatoes