Volume 53 Issue 5, May 2024

Recent genome editing techniques have substantially simplified the generation of genetically modified mice. A new study combines adeno-associated viruses (AAV) and electroporation to generate a robust pipeline to deliver CRISPR-Cas reagents into mouse embryos.

Researchers have developed a cost-effective, noninvasive method for determining torpor-bout duration in heterothermic mammals. They used the paper towel shredding behavior of ground squirrels to detect 59 arousals with 100% accuracy over 52 days. This method avoids the drawbacks of other cheap monitoring systems such as the sawdust technique.