'Chain reaction' spreads gene through insects

In a study published online this week, UC San Dieago researchers report that an introduced mutation disabled both normal copies of a pigmentation gene on the fruit fly chromosomes, transmitting itself to the next generation with 97% efficiency—a near-complete invasion of the genome. The secret of its success: an increasingly popular gene-editing toolkit called CRISPR, which the researchers adapted to give the mutation an overwhelming advantage. George Church, Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics, is quoted.

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