In a first, scientists use gene-editing to disrupt both latent and active herpes virus in human cells. Scientists have used the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to disrupt both latent reservoirs of the herpes simplex virus and actively replicating virus in human fibroblast cells. Experiments pinpoint weak spot that can make the virus susceptible to gene editing.

The herpes simplex virus, commonly known as the cold sore virus, is a devious microbe.

It enters the body through regions lined with mucous membranes – mouth, nose and genitals – but quickly establishes lifelong viral hideouts inside nerve cells...

QUT researchers have used a combination of virtual reality (VR), aerial thermal-imaging and ground surveys to build a better statistical model for predicting the location of koalas and, ultimately, protecting their habitat.

In the study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, researchers from QUT and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS) used the mashup of high-tech 360-degree imagery and heat-seeking drone cameras along with traditional techniques of ground surveys to develop a model that could be used to identify areas most likely to be home to koalas, which are ...

Interstellar comet 2I – Borisov swings past sun. When astronomers see something in the universe that at first glance seems like one-of-a-kind, it’s bound to stir up a lot of excitement and attention. Enter comet 2I/Borisov. This mysterious visitor from the depths of space is the first identified comet to arrive here from another star. We don’t know from where or when the comet started heading toward our Sun, but it won’t hang around for long...

Participants who ate a diet high in red and processed meat, fried food, refined grains and high-fat dairy were 3X more likely to develop an eye condition that damages the retina and affects a person’s central vision, according to the results of a study from the University at Buffalo.

The condition is called late-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is an irreversible condition that affects a person’s central vision, taking away their ability to drive, among other common daily activities.

“Treatment for late, neovascular AMD is invasive and expens...