Nature’s weekly audio round-up.
Millions of people around the world have cataracts, a clouding of the lens of the eye that can cause blindness. Surgery can treat the condition by replacing the lens, but the procedure carries risks and is not accessible to all patients. Researchers led by geneticist Kang Zhang have developed a simple eye drop that clears cataracts in dogs, and they hope to trial it in humans soon1. Also on the show, a strain of rice that could help to reduce methane emissions from the crop, and make it more productive, potentially feeding more people2. And we hear from reporter Elie Dolgin about his News Feature on how RNA’s structure affects its function in cells.
The Nature Podcast is Nature’s weekly audio round-up of the best science news and research. Subscribe for free through iTunes or other podcasting software to make sure that you don’t miss an episode. Full show notes on the Nature Podcast homepage.
References
Zhao, L. et al. Nature http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature14650 (2015).
Su, J. et al. Nature http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature14673 (2015).
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Ophthalmology: Cataracts dissolved 2015-Jul-22
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Podcast: Eye drops for cataracts and high-starch, low-methane rice. Nature (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature.2015.18049
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature.2015.18049