CRISPR gene-editing machinery could transform medicine but is difficult to get into tissues and disease-relevant cells. New delivery system loads CRISPR machinery inside spherical nucleic acid (SNA) nanoparticles. Particles entered cells three times more effectively, tripled gene-editing efficiency, and decreased toxicity compared to current delivery methods.

A new UC Berkeley-led study provides fire-prone communities with actionable data on how wildfire mitigation strategies can reduce the destructiveness of wildfires by as much as 50%. In the study, the researchers used state-of-the-art wildfire simulation tools, combined with real-world data from five of the most destructive fires that occurred in California before 2022, to quantify the impact of home hardening and defensible space on wildfire risk.

MIT researchers designed molecules that can serve as the electrolyte in a lithium-ion battery and then quickly break apart at the end of the battery’s life, making it easier to recycle all of the components.