Curiosity Daily Podcast: Move Over, CRISPR — New Gene Editing Tech is Here
Learn about the RLR gene editing tool; Victorian-era emoji; and why “night shift” screen settings don’t help you sleep.
June 14, 2021
Episode Show Notes:
RLR is a new gene editing tool that's safer and more useful than CRISPR by Cameron Duke
- Move over CRISPR, the retrons are coming. (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/wifb-moc042921.php
- Schubert, M. G., Goodman, D. B., Wannier, T. M., Kaur, D., Farzadfard, F., Lu, T. K., Shipman, S. L., & Church, G. M. (2021). High-throughput functional variant screens via in vivo production of single-stranded DNA. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(18), e2018181118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2018181118
- Swingle, B., Markel, E., & Cartinhour, S. (2010). Oligonucleotide recombination: A hidden treasure. Bioengineered Bugs, 1(4), 265–268. https://doi.org/10.4161/bbug.1.4.12098
- Irving, M. (2021, May 4). Harvard gene-editing tool “sneaks” DNA into cells without making cuts. New Atlas. https://newatlas.com/biology/retron-library-recombineering-gene-editing-crispr/
- Are Retrons the Next CRISPR? | Cell And Molecular Biology. (2021). Labroots. https://www.labroots.com/trending/cell-and-molecular-biology/20347/retrons-crispr
Flowers Were Emoji For Victorians by Anna Todd
- Romie Stott. (2016, August 15). How Flower-Obsessed Victorians Encoded Messages in Bouquets. Atlas Obscura; Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-flowerobsessed-victorians-encoded-messages-in-bouquets
- The meaning of flowers, Floriography, language of flowers, advice hints and tips from All Florists.co.uk. Allflorists.co.uk. http://www.allflorists.co.uk/advice_flowerMeanings.asp
"Night shift" screen settings don't really help you sleep by Kelsey Donk
- Is night shift really helping you sleep better? (2021). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/byu-ins042621.php
- Duraccio, K. M., Zaugg, K. K., Blackburn, R. C., & Jensen, C. D. (2021). Does iPhone night shift mitigate negative effects of smartphone use on sleep outcomes in emerging adults? Sleep Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2021.03.005
Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer — for free!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Next Up
'My Strange Shark Addiction' Is Coming to Shark Week 2026
Meet the most shark-obsessed "fin-atics" around and take a plunge into their wild fascinations on "My Strange Shark Addiction." Learn all about the new special here!
Watch World-Class High Diver Molly Carlson Leap From a Helicopter Into a Shark Cage on 'Ultimate Shark Dive'
Plunge head-first into the most shocking Shark Week special yet! Learn all about it here.
Dive Into 'Expedition Unknown: Shark Secrets' With Josh Gates
Join Josh Gates and uncover the truth about some of the world's most perplexing shark incidents and mysteries! Learn all about "Expedition Unknown: Shark Secrets" here.
Shark Week 2026 Kicks Off July 26!
Take a bite out of our 38th annual Shark Week event, starting July 26, 2026! Here's everything we have coming up, only on Discovery.
Top Five Rarest Bottom Dwellers
National Insect week occurs between June 20 -26. The week focuses on the importance of insects within ecosystems, nature, and wildlife. Insects do have a bad reputation, as some are a nuisance, and some are scary, but each plays a key role in maintaining order in nature. In celebration of the hard-working insects that you may see in your backyard, here’s a list of the ones you won’t be seeing. The rarest insects on the planet.
What You Can't Miss on Discovery This Week
In need of plans? We've got you covered! Here's what you can watch on Discovery all week!
Shark Week: The Podcast - Did Alien Tech Crash-Land into the Ocean?
Host Luke Tipple is joined this week by renowned Harvard professor, Dr. Avi Loeb, who recently led a deep-sea expedition to discover if evidence for advanced alien life crash-landed off the coast of Papua New Guinea in 2014. They discuss the recent Congressional UFO hearings, how the last seventy years of research into extraterrestrial life has been potentially misguided, and the challenges of searching for tiny objects on the bottom of the ocean.
An Astronomical Review of “Don’t Look Up”
In our annual New Year’s family tradition of struggling to stay awake until midnight, we decided to watch “Don’t Look Up,” the Adam McKay satire starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and other fabulously good-looking people.
Shark Week: The Podcast - What is the Status of Sharks in our Oceans?
In this season’s final episode, Luke welcomes Emmy-winning filmmaker and conservationist Shawn Heinrichs to discuss the state of sharks in the ocean. They go over how both legal and illegal fishing operations are decimating the ocean’s wildlife, what it’s like to have a hit put out on you for exposing criminal enterprises to the world, and whether or not NOAA’s data on “sustainable” fishing can really be trusted.
Explore the Rugged, Remote Chaco Canyon in New Mexico
Photographer and conservationist Ian Shive photographs one of the most remote and rugged parts of the United States to take us on a journey to Chaco Canyon in New Mexico's Chaco Culture National Historical Park.