On one side stands your typical everyday house mouse, cowering before his fearsome opponent: a mouse almost twice the size and boasting an incredible physique, nicknamed, appropriately, “Knock Out”. So, is this brutal mismatch down to years of obsessive bodybuilding on the running wheel? Far from it. The only difference between these two individuals is [...]
Well, that’s what happens if you are colony of genetically engineered E.coli bacteria! Scientists have given the bacteria genes that make it convert complex sugars in the seaweed into alcohol, which can then be used as a fuel. Seaweed is plentiful, and grows naturally in our oceans. A very good thing indeed! Up til now, biofuels like [...]
What can you buy for $1000, or £646? A laptop…A moped… A holiday to Iceland… How about your genome? Now for that price you can sequence and own the complete genetic instructions that make you, you. What can you do with it? You can find out if you have genes that make you susceptible to certain illnesses, [...]
The toothbrush is ubiquitous in our homes; we pass it without consideration. But exploring the past of this toothbrush, a genuine item from ‘Ground Zero’, unravels a much larger, critical story. The events of September 11th, 2001 need no introduction. These violent attacks altered our image of the world and left friends and families of [...]
Down at the far end of Making the Modern World sit two still white mice. Don’t panic! These mice aren’t vermin; they are in fact two freeze dried transgenic mice. The pair are direct descendants of the first transgenic mammals to be granted a US patent; among the first to be produced at Harvard Medical [...]
Have you ever wondered how DNA evidence is used to solve crimes? What is the National DNA Database? And why should it matter to us anyway? Explore these questions and more in our new show ‘The Great DNA Debate’, all about genetic information, how it can be used, and who should have access to it. This interactive [...]
Hot off the press! We have just launched a brand-new series ‘Genetics and Brain Science’ on the Science Museum’s Educators website, where you can find a range of free KS3 and KS4 classroom activities. The resources support you in teaching contemporary science and How Science Works, and relate to our very popular Who am I? [...]
Could a single drop of your saliva tell you if you are prone to genetically inherited diseases? Well this could soon be a reality according to scientists at Edinburgh University. They are developing a quick and cheap swab test to analyse your DNA. the Results could tell you if you were healthly, likely to develop a disease or diagonse conditions [...]
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