The world of DNA is literally a rabbit hole. Each step leads us to new and even terrible discoveries. The more scientists research and hone these molecules of life, the “weirder and weirder” the scientific moves become. The lines between biology and technology are blurring, sometimes for the worse. But DNA alone gives us simple answers about how to treat complex diseases, store information, and even what a criminal looks like.
Living microcircuits
When scientists dreamed of a new way to look at the molecules and processes in cells, there was one obstacle in their way. They wanted to create a DNA-based device that would act like a single chip, turn on and off. The problem was that the switch needed to be electrically activated.
Finally, scientists managed to solve this problem by squeezing anthraquinones (such a substance) between small pieces of DNA. This natural compound happily adapted to implantation and was capable of producing redox reactions.
During redox processes, electrons charge certain molecules while leaving others. The result is an electrical impulse. When stimulated with the tip of the electrode, the anthraquinones did an excellent job of this. Depending on how many electrons they captured, the circuits either conducted current or not.
Switches, each a thousand times thinner than a hair, pave the way for microscopic molecular devices. Adaptations of this altered genetic code may allow us to study chemical reactions within cells like never before, with particular emphasis on those associated with disease.
Promotional video:
DNA injection cures lameness
Lame racing horses face euthanasia, often with great financial losses for the owner. It often appears in horses that fall or age, but the usual treatments are too long to guarantee a quality life in the future.
Not so long ago, this terrible problem was solved with a simple syringe. Scientists took two genes and inserted them into the legs of lame horses. The results were amazing. The injuries were not only healed, but the horses returned to the racetrack two months later, where they competed.
The revolutionary genes VEGF164 and BMP2 have been injected directly into damaged ligaments and tendons. DNA encouraged the development of new blood vessels, bones, and cartilage, all of which had excellent tissue. This method of treatment is not yet the main one, but it promises to change a lot both in veterinary clinics and in hospitals for people. The test horses remained in their peak condition for a year after receiving treatment, which gives hope that one day this method may help people with tendon problems, ruptured ligaments and even spinal injuries.
Hook per person
The human pedigree remains incomplete despite decades of research. Anthropologists can only examine what is available, and there are not so many skeletons of the first humans and other hominids. However, new methods are making it possible to find ancient DNA without bodies.
In Belgium, Croatia, France, Russia and Spain, dirt was collected and sieved for human DNA. To increase the odds, all 85 samples were taken from archaeological sites between 14,000 and 550,000 years old. The test results were flooded with genes.
Trillions of DNA fragments have been found in one teaspoon of sand. Woolly rhinos, mammoths, cave bears, ancient hyenas - they all made it difficult to find hominids. To remove this genetic noise, the researchers resorted to fishing. They created a kind of hook out of modern mitochondrial DNA. Since it belonged to a person, it only picked up similar DNA from the jumble of genes.
It is noteworthy that the molecular tool snagged chains of Neanderthals in places where neither their bones nor tools were found. Even DNA was found from an extremely rare representative of ancestors, a Denisovan man. The genes-catching technique could answer long-standing questions about which sites and artifacts belong to humans, and which to Neanderthals or completely unknown hominids.
Brush genes
When scientists looked for the complex DNA responsible for the beautiful wings of butterflies, they were in for a surprise. Instead of the expected gene network, they found only two. The WntA and optix genes behave like a pencil that draws the outlines of images and paint that colors these outlines.
Previous studies have involved this pair of artists and have linked optix to red and orange. But their exceptional impact only came to light when scientists began experimenting with these "brush genes."
When WntA was turned off, the order disappeared. Lines faded, colors merged with each other, drawings disappeared. Disabling optix had more interesting results. The butterflies turned gray or black, and not only in the wings.
An unexpected twist occurred in the case of the common "big-eyed" butterfly Junonia koenia. Spots of blue iris dotted the wings where they had never been. This showed that optix also affects pigmentation on a physical level.
Both genes appear to have led to major evolutionary changes and abilities, including mimicry as a defense.
Embryonic surgery
In an attempt to cure a dangerous blood disorder, Chinese scientists created human embryos in a laboratory. In 2017, the project involved cloned embryos and tissues from a patient suffering from beta thalassemia.
Like many genetic diseases, beta thalassemia is caused by a malfunction in the bases of a person's DNA. The human genetic code consists of four bases - adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine (A, C, G and T). They contain all the guidelines for shaping a person and controlling the body.
An abnormal base is called a point mutation. It has always been associated with two-thirds of genetic diseases. To find a point mutation for beta thalassemia, scientists scanned three billion "letters" of the genetic code.
It turned out that one of the Gs was out of place. The base editing method replaced it with A and cured the disease at the DNA level. In the future, the base editing system may yield positive results for other hereditary diseases.
Sacrificial skin
Sun lovers will soon be able to sunbathe without worrying about skin damage. The sun's ultraviolet rays can destroy DNA, and the cancer risks associated with sunburn have long been known.
In 2017, scientists came up with a brilliant idea. A sunscreen made from salmon sperm DNA absorbs UV light in much the same way as a second skin. The longer it is exposed to sunlight, the better. Those who like to fry for hours will no longer worry about dehydrated skin. The fish film retains moisture.
Applications involving water and ethanol may be more popular than just sunscreen. This colorless substance can be used as an emergency or urgent dressing. Its crystalline nature will also allow physicians to watch for healing without removing the coating.
DNA can store music
In an effort to help the world solve the storage problem, scientists turned to DNA. They wanted to prove that no other medium compares to it in terms of storage capacity or reliability.
Recently, two pieces of music - Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple) and Tutu (Miles Davis) - became DNA files. Their binary code, a digital language of ones and zeros, has been transformed into genetic bases (A, C, G, and T).
In turn, synthetic bases were created, arranged in accordance with the binary sequences of the music. The songs took up 140 MB of hard disk space. But when turned into DNA, they were hardly more than a speck of dust. The files were recovered by process reversal and no segment was damaged.
The universal nature of DNA means that more than just music can be stored this way. Other information that scientists turned into genetics included a movie, a computer virus, and even an entire computer operating system.
The density of such a system would one day allow all of Earth's data to be stored in one room. Under certain conditions, genetic files can be stored for thousands of years.
Identifying offenders by genes
Criminals with genetic information stored in databases have every reason to hate the DNA they left behind at crime scenes. The juxtaposition will quickly lead to their conviction or capture. The problem was to charge the culprit without any prior records. If the crime scene was littered with anonymous genes, the case risked becoming "deaf."
A new forensic technique could compose a criminal's face based on his or her genetic remains. So-called DNA phenotyping can tell researchers about the real color of a person's hair, eyes, and skin, geographic ancestry, and finer details such as freckles.
Genes can tell a lot about a person's physical appearance. To improve the technique and improve the accuracy of facial features, the scientists scanned the faces and DNA of the volunteers. The software looks for intersection points of genetic points and shapes of jaws, cheeks and noses.
The samples that were identified made phenotyping capable of providing sufficient information to compile digital images. On the other hand, it can be used to add detail to the skulls of unidentified victims.
Stealing genes
The aquatic organism of the tardigrade is distinguished by monstrous vitality and strange genes. The genome of this creature has been sequenced so that we can learn more about its superpowers. These microscopic invertebrates can survive in space, in freezing and boiling temperatures, incredible pressure, radiation and decades without food or water.
This may be due to the ability of tardigrades to steal genes from other life forms. Animals and humans go through this process - horizontal gene transfer - mainly through viruses. Most species contain 1% alien DNA, while the deposits of alien genes in tardigrades are simply colossal - up to 17.5%.
According to various estimates, 6,000 stolen genes belong to bacteria, fungi, plants and archaea. Tardigrades have a survival mechanism in which they get rid of water. This destroys their DNA. During rehydration, the genome reassembles and, possibly, absorbs foreign pieces.
Those that are passed on to the next generation make the tardigrade more resilient. In particular, bacterial genes are more hardy in extreme conditions than animal genes.
DNA can hack computers
At first glance, it might seem that this title is taken from the plot of a film about spies. But in 2017, scientists at the University of Washington took malware and encoded it into synthetic DNA bases.
The leap from biological to digital happened when the computer sequenced the chain. When the software changed the combinations of A, C, G, and T, turning them back into computer code, the virus was released and gave scientists full remote access to the computer. Although these kinds of hacks are not currently in use, they will, give them time.
Ilya Khel