Viruses aren’t always bad. Plant viruses may soon be used to save plants from root parasites, eliminating the need for toxic pesticides:
Plant parasitic nematodes are microscopic soil-dwelling creatures that damage crops by feeding on their roots. Scientists have now developed a greener and more efficient means of eradicating them, using a modified plant virus.
Currently, farmers fight nematodes by applying pesticides to their crops.
Because those chemicals would otherwise just stay near the soil’s surface, large quantities of them have to be applied, often accompanied by lots of water to wash them down to the roots. This means that farmers have to spend a lot of money on pesticides, they have to use a lot of water, plus large quantities of the toxic chemicals enter the environment.
Seeking a less wasteful and more eco-friendly alternative, Prof. Nicole Steinmetz and colleagues at the University of California-San Diego looked to the tobacco mild green mosaic virus. Unlike pesticides, it’s naturally adept at making its way down through the soil.
The scientists developed a process which begins with the rod-shaped virus getting mixed with the pesticide ivermectin within a liquid solution. That solution is then heated to over 90 ºC (194 ºF), which causes three things to happen.
“First, the rod ‘spits out’ its genetic nucleic acid (the infectious part), which is degraded at the high temperature,” Steinmetz told us. “Second, the rod turns into a spherical protein ball [a nanoparticle] that, thirdly, contains the pesticide.”
In lab tests, the resulting non-infectious pesticide-encapsulating nanoparticles successfully made their way down through 10 cm (3.9 in) of soil. When the particles were recovered from the soil samples and added to a petri dish full of nematodes, their pesticide payload eradicated at least half of the population.
In other news, a mutant tomato could save harvests around the world.
Scientists recently engineered bionic silkworms that spin fibers six times stronger than Kevlar.
Other scientists recently came up with an “inverse vaccine” that has shown it can treat auto-immune diseases in a lab setting, creating hope that doctors will be able to use it to reverse devastating diseases like multiple sclerosis. But the FDA commonly takes years to approve new drugs and vaccines, so thousands will die waiting for the vaccine to be approved, even if it is perfected.
Artificial intelligence is now developing highly-effective antibodies to fight disease. Doctors overseas are using artificial intelligence to detect cases of breast cancer more effectively.
A new ultrasound therapy could help treat cancer and Alzheimer’s disease and skull implants could fight depression.
In other news, 90% of cystic fibrosis victims may get a new lease on life due to a breakthrough drug.
Artificial wombs could be coming soon, to prevent premature babies from dying or being permanently disabled due to premature life outside the womb. Doctors are already beginning to do womb transplants. A woman who was previously unable to have children recently received her sister’s womb in the first womb transplant in the United Kingdom.
