Week In Science

The article Toxin Buster: New technique makes cottonseeds edible, describes a genetic modification of cottonseeds which makes them edible by removing a poisonous compound known as gossypol. Researchers employed a technique called RNA interference which short circuits the gossypol synthesis process by matching an RNA to one specific for gossypol. The amount of protein made available from cottonseeds without gossypol could supply the daily needs of up to 500 million people based on current crop estimates.

Another article, from Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 7, 919-931 (December 2006) | doi:10.1038/nrm2061, titled Editor meets silencer: crosstalk between RNA editing and RNA interference, reveals new discoveries about a biological process called RNA editing which had been previously thought of as altering proteins through the editing of RNA transcripts. New information indicates that RNA editing encompasses other functions including gene silencing and the regulation of retrotransposons. New editing sites were found within inverted Alu repeats in introns and in untranslated regions.

"Dunkleosteus terrelli could have exerted up to 1,200 pounds of force with its bite, the investigators estimate." This from Ancient Megafish Had First Bite Strong Enough to Snap Prey in Half. The article discusses an extinct 33 foot long predatory fish which was at the top of a food chain during the time it lived. The organism is believed to have used suction to grab hold of prey. To give an idea of just how powerful the bite of this fish was, present day large alligators can generate 3,000 pounds of bite force which is but one fourth the estimated bite of Dunkleosteus.