Squids and Their Unique Gene Editing

Scientists have recently found that squids can make genetic edits in the cytoplasm, which is unusual compared to other creatures. Normally these edits occur inside of the nucleus and travel to the rest of the body. This ability indicated that squids could quickly create proteins tailored to their needs. Researchers discovered an mRNA editing protein called ADAR2 in both the nucleus and cytoplasm of the squids.

Further research may help scientists to copy this technique of squids and use it to treat chronic pain in humans. The method would be very similar to CRISPR, but for RNA, which could come with advantages. As biologist Joshua Rosenthal mentioned in the article, manipulating RNA would be less risky than DNA, because if you change DNA you cannot go back. 

Articles:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/squid-edit-their-genetic-material-uniquely-weird-place

https://academic.oup.com/nar/article/48/8/3999/5809668

Gene Gems: Ultrapersonalized Jewelry Encapsulates Your DNA

A man named Robert Grass found a new innovated way to develop technology to stabilize and store DNA. DNA is unique to everyone and with jewelry, especially for marriage, is an item you want to be unique. The process leaves DNA unharmed and leaves the sample able to be recovered anytime for future use or analysis for any reason. The process to preserve the DNA is to extract and purify the sample of saliva of a person and add chemicals to the liquid solution containing the DNA to promote growth and "fossilize" and encapsulate the DNA at room temperature. The resulting product would be a powdered glass containing tiny strands of DNA to place inside the article of jewelry The DNA would decay to half its concentration over to course of 1,000 years.

It is remarkable what can be done with our DNA. It doesn't just stop of giving something unique to a person, but what we can do to preserve loved ones once they leave this earth. Information that can help us down overall may not be able to be tapped into now but with preservation and technology increasing. The possibility of being able to tap into it in the future can maybe help major problems we face today. It is a nice feeling to have something extremely unique to give to another person.

Fast-Mutating DNA Sequences Shape Early Development; Guided Evolution of Uniquely Human Traits

Researchers at Gladstone Institutes, University of California have looked at the connection between humans and chimps and what regions of dna they differ in. They had found that there are regions where the mutation rate for humans and chimps vary. These sites are called human accelerated regions (HARs). In humans, there were over 2600 of these sites, of them, it was deemed that about 100 of them had a very fast mutation rate in comparison to the other regions. They have decided that these 100 will be watched closely in future research. This technology has the posibility to pave the way for controlling human evolution.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131110204417.htm

http://www.genome.gov/10001177

John A. Capra, Genevieve D. Erwin, Gabriel McKinsey, John L. R. Rubenstein, and Katherine S. Pollard. Many human accelerated regions are developmental enhancers. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B., 2013 368 20130025 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0025