Will CRISPR Cure Cancer?

One question for Brad Ringeisen, a chemist and executive director of the Innovative Genomics Institute. Plus: the top science news—dust as a solar shield; da Vinci’s lost take on gravity; and more. [View in browser]( | [Become a member]( Newsletter brought to you by: February 14, 2023   Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here](. Good Morning! Here’s the top science news—plus this week’s One Question with chemist [Brad Ringeisen]( [READ NOW](   DISCOVERIES The Top Science News This Week   [Disease Burden Among Ukrainians Forcibly Displaced by the 2022 Russian Invasion]( These estimates could help hospitals allocate crucial resources to support people with cancer, tuberculosis, and other diseases. [PNAS→](   [Collective Transcendence Beliefs Shape the Sacredness of Objects: The Case of Art]( How objects achieve a state of reverence. [Journal of Personality and Social Psychology→](   [Dust as a Solar Shield]( Where we should blast moon dust to shade us from the sun. [PLOS Climate→](   [Leonardo da Vinci’s Visualization of Gravity as a Form of Acceleration]( Yet another way the inventor was far ahead of his time. [Leonardo→](   [A Little Good Goes an Unexpectedly Long Way: Underestimating the Positive Impact of Kindness on Recipients]( An antidote to pessimism. [Journal of Experimental Psychology: General→](   [The Biggest Penguin That Ever Existed Was a “Monster Bird”]( It weighed as much as a full grown gorilla. [The New York Times→](   [As Bird Flu Spreads to Minks, Sea Lions, and Other Mammals, Scientists Are on Alert for Dangerous Mutations]( “This is the number one potential pandemic virus everyone has been interested in for a long time.” [NBC News→](   [Asteroid Hits Earth in "Magnificent" Spectacle Over Europe]( “At the time I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime event. I was wrong." [CBS News→]( Experience the endless possibilities and deep human connections that science offers [SUBSCRIBE TODAY](   [What’s Your Dog’s Love Language?]( When you know your [dog’s love language](, you can grow closer and better understand your pup’s behaviors and motivations. Acts of service, words of affirmation? Regardless of their language, show your dog some extra love this Valentine’s Day when you bring home a [SpotOn wireless dog fence](. Let your dog experience life unleashed. Save 15% with code NAUT15. [Live Life Unleashed](   [ONE QUESTION]( [Will CRISPR Cure Cancer?]( INTERVIEW BY BRIAN GALLAGHER One question for [Brad Ringeisen](, a chemist and executive director of the Innovative Genomics Institute founded by Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Jennifer Doudna.   We’re always thinking about: What are those targets in the future? Cancer is one of those things. The biggest impact is going to be what’s called systemic delivery, or in vivo delivery. There’s been one example of this in the community right now—to treat a liver disease. Intellia Therapeutics, a biotech company, has shown that you can actually intravenously apply CRISPR-Cas9 treatment. (CRISPR is the guide RNA, the targeting molecule, and Cas9 is the cutting molecule that edits DNA.) It can go to the liver and target the liver cells, and make edits at a high enough efficacy to treat genetic liver disease. The problem is that the liver is the easiest. It’s like the garbage can of the body. [Read the interview](   Related Nautilus Stories   [GENETICS]( [The Unbearable Weirdness of CRISPR]( How the genome of a salt-loving microbe led to a world-changing technology. BY VERONIQUE GREENWOOD [Continue reading →]( [GENETICS]( [Frankenstein in the Age of CRISPR-Cas9]( Despite the awesome progress of science, we will never be free from the circular discussions of who we are. BY JIM KOZUBEK [Continue reading →](   More in Microbiology [The Universal Clock of Aging]( Father Time is ticking away in our DNA. BY ELENA KAZAMIA [Continue reading →]( [What We Really Are Is an Agglomeration of Cells]( Siddhartha Mukherjee sings the praises of the cell to offer us a holistic portrait of life. BY MICHAEL DENHAM [Continue reading →](   Today’s newsletter was written by Brian Gallagher   BECOME A SUBSCRIBER Support Black STEM This February, [Nautilus]( is championing present and future Black scientists. The Nautilus Marketing Team will feature weekly stories on organizations creating more opportunities for young Black innovators in STEM, including Black Girls Do STEM, Jackson State University, and Black Girls Code. We will also donate 10% of all new member subscriptions toward these institutions' initiatives. [Join today]( and support Black scientists and organizations dedicated to actualizing greater diversity in STEM. [Subscribe Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2023 NautilusNext, All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from nautil.us. Our mailing address is: NautilusNext 360 W 36th Street, 7S, New York, NY 10018 Don't want to hear from us anymore? Click here to [unsubscribe](.