Gearfuse Technology, Science, Culture & More
Perhaps one of the most exciting areas of scientific research right now lies in genetics. Unraveling the secrets of DNA has long been the aspiration of many scientists, since it essentially holds the key to human life.
Well, Johan Auwerx of the Federal Polytechnic School in Switzerland�and his colleagues have developed a “supermouse” that can gain a significant amount of weight without developing Type-2 diabetes. Here’s how it works:
Auwerx and his colleagues used a targeted virus to knock out the gene that makes a protein called nuclear receptor corepressor�1 (NCoR1) in the muscle of mice. Without NCoR1, mitochondria, which power cells, keep working at full speed. “Effectively, the mice go further, faster, on the same amount of gas,” says Auwerx.
However, Auwerx did warn that this research also opens up the potential for it to be exploited for athletic performance enhancement.
