Tuberculosis-resistant cows developed for the first time using CRISPR technology.

A new research published in the open access journal Genome Biology,reports that CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology has been used for the first time to successfully produce live cows with increased resistance to bovine tuberculosis. The researchers, from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University in Shaanxi, China, used a modified version of the CRISPR gene-editing technology to insert a new gene into the cow genome with no detected off target effects on the animals genetics (a common problem when creating transgenic animals using CRISPR). CRISPR technology has become widely used in the laboratory in recent years as it is an accurate and relatively easy way to modify the genetic code. However, sometimes unintentional changes to the genetic code occur as an off target effect, so finding ways to reduce these is a priority for genomics research. The research was carried out using a novel version of the CRISPR system called CRISPR/Cas9n to successfully insert a tuberculosis resistance gene, called NRAMP1, into the cow genome. This was successfully inserted and resulted in the development of live cows carrying increased resistance to tuberculosis. The high-point of the research is that the method produced no off target effects on the cow genetics meaning that the CRISPR technology we employed may be better suited to producing transgenic livestock with purposefully manipulated genetics. The researchers inserted the NRAMP1 gene into the genome of bovine foetal fibroblasts—a cell derived from female dairy cows—using the CRISPR/Cas9n technology. These cells were then used as donor cells in a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer, where the nucleus of a donor cell carrying the new gene is inserted into an egg cell, known as an ovum, from a female cow. Ova were nurtured in the lab into embryos before being transferred into mother cows for a normal pregnancy cycle. The experiments were also conducted using the standard CRISPR/Cas9 technology as a comparison.

New fertilizer technologies for rice.

Small-scale rice farmers in Kirinyaga County in Kenya are using new fertilizer technologies to increase yields by up to 50% while using one-third less fertilizer. The technology ‘package’ introduced by 2SCALE has two components. First, a specially formulated fertilizer blend that contains micronutrients such as magnesium, zinc and boron in addition to the standard NPK. Second, ‘deep placement’ application, where briquettes (pellets) of fertilizer are inserted into the soil rather than the usual practice of broadcasting. Deep placement reduces fertilizer losses by two-thirds, ensuring that nutrients remain in the root zone, available to plants, for much longer. Another innovation is slow-release fertilizer, which needs to be applied only once, at planting, compared to the usual two applications – substantially reducing labor costs.continue

Scientists design electricity generator that mimics trees.

A prototype biomimetic tree has been built that generates electricity when wind blows through its artificial leaves. The researchers think such technology may help people charge household appliances without the need for large wind turbines. In a paper published this month in the peer-reviewed academic journal PLOS ONE, the ISU research team delves into the world of biomimetics, or the use of artificial means to mimic natural processes. The concept has inspired new ways of approaching fields as varied as computer science, manufacturing and nanotechnology. Iowa State University scientists have built a device that mimics the branches and leaves of a cottonwood tree and generates electricity when its artificial leaves sway in the wind. Small strips of specialized plastic inside the leaf stalks release an electrical charge when bent by moving air. These processes are known as piezoelectric effects and the cottonwood leaves were modeled because their flattened leaf stalks compel blades to oscillate in a regular pattern that optimizes energy generation by flexible piezoelectric strips.

Air pollution may lead to dementia in older women.

A new study shows that air pollution by tiny, dirty airborne particles called PM2.5 invade the brain and wreak havoc causing dementia in older women. The study published in the Nature journal Translational Psychiatry, adds to an emerging body of research from around the world that links air pollution to dementia. The offending pollutants known as PM2.5 are fine, inhalable particles with diameters 2.5 micrometers or smaller. A human hair is about 70 micrometers in diameter, making it 30 times larger than the largest PM2.5. Scientists and engineers found that older women who live in places with fine particulate matter exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's standard are 81 percent more at risk for global cognitive decline and 92 percent more likely to develop dementia, including Alzheimer's. These microscopic particles generated by fossil fuels get into our body directly through the nose into the brain and cells in the brain treat these particles as invaders and react with inflammatory responses, which over the course of time, appear to exacerbate and promote Alzheimer's disease. The adverse effects were stronger in women who had the APOE4 gene, a genetic variation that increases the risk for Alzheimer's.

Women in Morocco Set a Model for Rural Communities.

The growth of cooperatives is one example of how women in the Middle East and North Africa are fighting back and showing resilience. North African women have long been celebrated in their societies as protectors of traditional culture. While this role is undoubtedly critical to any society, the relegation of women to perceived “traditional” spheres has, at times, served as a tool of their marginalization. In the North African context of the past half-century, it became common for men to move to cities and pursue well-paying jobs in “modern” sectors of the economy, while women stayed at home in rural villages, raised children and led their lives in traditional ways. But as challenging economic circumstances across the region in the wake of failed structural adjustment policies have left many men unemployed or underemployed, increasing numbers of women are turning this dynamic on its head and using their monopoly on traditional knowledge in creative and innovative ways. In the absence of well-paying, regular work for men, especially in rural areas, women are using traditional knowledge to generate income—and oftentimes providing the glue that holds together families and communities. Take the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco, a poor, rural region where many men are struggling to find work, and where both the shortage of jobs and cultural norms prevent many women from seeking work outside their homes. In recent years, a growing focus on women’s roles and economic development from Moroccan communities, the government and foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGO) has opened opportunities for women to use their traditional skills—ranging from carpet weaving to herb-gathering to couscous making—to earn income through participation in cooperative business. Utilizing skills that many women previously used within their households to provide for the basic needs of their families, they are now using them to generate outside income through sales to their community members, other Moroccans and, most notably, to tourists.continue

Spread of diseases in farmed animals shown using social media analysis.

The Spread of diseases in farmed animals can be shown using social network analysis according to a research published in the PLOS. 

Researchers have shown that looking at movements of operators and vehicles between farms in the same way we look at contacts in social networks can help explain the spread of dangerous infectious diseases of livestock, such as foot-and-mouth disease and avian influenza. This research can contribute to the development of more accurate tools for predicting the spread of livestock diseases and may help implement more effective biosecurity measures in farms.

This research, published in PLOS Computational Biology, can contribute to the development of more accurate tools for predicting the spread of livestock diseases and may help implement more effective biosecurity measures in farms. The research showed that the network of contacts originated from on-farm visits by veterinarians in dairy farms of Northern Italy displays hidden features that cannot be detected by simply looking at the frequency of visits and unveils patterns of infection otherwise unexplained. 

The authors discovered that veterinarians' movements produce an unexpectedly large number of potentially infectious contacts between farms that can quickly spread dangerous livestock diseases. The research, made possible by the availability of high-resolution data in space and time on veterinarian movements in the study area, shed light on the actual significance of operator movements in disease spread, a still poorly understood topic due to the highly diverse and complex nature of such movements and to privacy issues in data collection. 

 The researchers compared the role of veterinarian movements on diseases spread with those of animal exchange between farms, which is recognized as the most effective transmission route for livestock infectious diseases. 

 They found that co-occurrence of operator movements and animal exchanges is synergistic, largely amplifying the potential for disease propagation. The study shows how multilayer network analysis substantially improves the way diseases spread can be described, thus contributing to their control.

12 year old Nigerian girl develops location app to help lost children.

It has not been the most positive of times in Nigeria considering the current economic climate but every now and then a story will pop up and lift the spirits of the country. Tomisin Ogunnubi from Lagos has provided such a story for her nation in Answers Africa. The 12-year-old girl from Lagos has developed an app to solve a problem which she had noticed in her community. Tomisin finished up the development of her Android mobile tracking app, My Location, just a few weeks ago. The motivation behind the app was to help lost children find their way back home. How it was developed: Tomision developed her app under the guidence of an Information and Communications Technology partnership, between her school, Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, and New Horizons Computer Learning Center. Here, Tomision was able to learn the necessary skills and knowledge needed to develop her app. How it works: The “current location”setting on the app enables the child to see exactly where they are, as well as highlighting the neighboring streets around them. The other main functionality of the app will allow the child to save a location such as their house or school and it will direct them to their desired location. The My Locator App also features a button, which when pressed will alert the Lagos State Emergency Services. The app will call the services as well as show the child’s location so that they can be helped. source