Category: 7. Science

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, have uncovered how to manipulate electrical flow through crystalline silicon, a material at the heart of modern technology. The discovery could lead to smaller, faster, and more efficient devices by harnessing quantum electron behavior. 

At the quantum scale, electrons behave more like waves than particles. And now, scientists have shown that the symmetrical structure of silicon molecules can be fine-tuned to create, or suppress, a phenomenon known as destructive interference. The effect can turn conductivity “on” or “off,” functioning as a molecular-scale switch.

“We found that when tiny silicon structures are shaped with high symmetry, they can cancel out electron flow like noise-canceling headphones,” said Tim Su, a UCR chemistry professor who led the study. “What’s exciting is that we can control it.”

Published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the research breaks ground in understanding how electricity moves through silicon at the smallest possible scale, atom by atom.

The finding comes as the tech industry hits a wall in shrinking conventional silicon chips. Traditional methods rely on carving tiny circuits into silicon wafers or doping, which means adding small amounts of other elements to control how silicon conducts electricity.

These techniques have worked well for decades, but they’re approaching physical limits: you can only carve so small, and added atoms can’t fix problems caused by quantum effects.

By contrast, Su and his team used chemistry to build silicon molecules from the ground up, rather than carving them down. This “bottom-up” approach gave them precise control over how the atoms were arranged and, critically, control over the way electrons move through their silicon structures.

Silicon is the second most abundant element in Earth’s crust and the workhorse of computing. But as devices shrink, unpredictable quantum effects, like electrons leaking across insulating barriers, make traditional designs harder to manage. This new study suggests that engineers might embrace, rather than fight, this quantum behavior.

“Our work shows how molecular symmetry in silicon leads to interference effects that control how electrons move through it,” Su said. “And we can switch that interference on or off by controlling how electrodes align with our molecule.”

While the idea of using quantum interference in electronics isn’t new, this is one of the first demonstrations of the effect in three-dimensional, diamond-like silicon — the same structure used in commercial chips.

Beyond ultra-small switches, the findings could aid in the development of thermoelectric devices that convert waste heat into electricity, or even quantum computing components built from familiar materials.

“This gives us a fundamentally new way to think about switching and charge transport,” Su said. “It’s not just a tweak. It’s a rethink of what silicon can do.”

(Cover image: mustafaU/iStock/Getty)

Paleontologists have described a new species of the ankylosaurid dinosaur genus Zhongyuansaurus using a specimen found in China’s Henan province.

Ankylosaurids (family Ankylosauridae) were herbivorous quadruped dinosaurs known for their robust, scute-covered bodies, distinctive body armor, leaf-shaped teeth, and club-like tails.

The earliest-known ankylosaurids date to around 122 million years ago, and the youngest species went extinct 66 million years ago during the end-Cretaceous extinction.

The newly-identified species belongs to a previously monospecific ankylosaurid genus called Zhongyuansaurus.

Named Zhongyuansaurus junchangi, it lived in what is now China during the Albian age of the latest Early Cretaceous.

The dinosaur’s fossilized remains were collected from the upper part of the Haoling Formation at Zhongwa village in Henan province, China.

“The fossils are preserved within an area of about 9 m²,” said Dr. Ji-ming Zhang from the Henan Natural History Museum and colleagues.

“They are disarticulated and show no overlapping preservation, suggesting they belong to a single individual.”

“The specimen includes one right mandible, 14 free caudal vertebrae, seven fused terminal caudal vertebrae forming a rod-like structure, four ribs, 10 haemal arches, one left humerus, one slender metatarsal, and 41 osteoderms of various sizes and shapes.”

Zhongyuansaurus junchangi is characterized by a unique autapomorphy: at least five caudal armor plates arranged in a shingle-like pattern with a distinctive swallowtail shape.

“Additionally, it exhibits relatively slender mandibular bones compared to the more robust mandibles of advanced Ankylosaurinae,” the paleontologists said.

“The anterior tip of the coronoid process extends only to the last two alveoli, differing from Shamosaurus.”

“The distal caudal vertebrae are adorned with small osteoderms, and the humerus has a midshaft circumference-to-total-length ratio of 0.46, distinguishing it from Zhongyuansaurus luoyangensis.”

“The discovery of Zhongyuansaurus junchangi provides new insights into the evolution of ankylosaurs in the Lower Cretaceous strata of Ruyang and enhances the species diversity of the Ruyang dinosaur fauna,” the researchers concluded.

Their paper was published in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Sinica.

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Ji-ming Zhang et al. 2025. New ankylosaurid material from the Lower Cretaceous of the Ruyang Basin, Henan Province. Acta Palaeontologica Sinica 64 (1): 60-73; doi: 10.19800/ j.cnki.aps.2023037

The melting of glaciers and ice caps by the climate crisis could unleash a barrage of explosive volcanic eruptions, a study suggests.

The loss of ice releases the pressure on underground magma chambers and makes eruptions more likely. This process has been seen in Iceland, an unusual island that sits on a mid-ocean tectonic plate boundary. But the research in Chile is one of the first studies to show a surge in volcanism on a continent in the past, after the last ice age ended.

Global heating caused by the burning of fossil fuels is now melting ice caps and glaciers across the world. The biggest risk of a resurgence of volcanic eruptions is in west Antarctica, the researchers said, where at least 100 volcanoes lie under the thick ice. This ice is very likely to be lost in the coming decades and centuries as the world warms.

Volcanic eruptions can cool the planet temporarily by shooting sunlight-reflecting particles into the atmosphere. However, sustained eruptions would pump significant greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide and methane. This would further heat the planet and potentially create a vicious circle, in which rising temperatures melt ice that leads to further eruptions and more global heating.

Pablo Moreno-Yaeger, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US, who led the research, said: “As glaciers retreat due to climate change, our findings suggest these volcanoes go on to erupt more frequently and more explosively.”

The research, which was presented at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Prague, and is in the final stages of review with an academic journal, involved camping high in the Andes, among active and dormant volcanoes.

Detailed work on one volcano, called Mocho-Choshuenco, used radioisotope dating to estimate the age of volcanic rocks produced before, during and after the last ice age, when the 1,500-metre-thick Patagonian ice sheet covered the area. Analysis of the minerals in the rocks also revealed the depth and temperature at which the rocks formed.

This data revealed that thick ice cover had suppressed the volume of eruptions between 26,000 and 18,000 years ago, allowing a large reservoir of magma to build up 10-15km (6.2-9.3 miles) below the surface. After the ice melted, from about 13,000 years ago, the pressure on the magma chamber was released, gasses in the liquid or molten rock expanded and explosive eruptions followed.

“We found that following deglaciation, the volcano starts to erupt way more, and also changes composition,” said Moreno-Yaeger. The composition changed as the magma melted crustal rocks while eruptions were suppressed. This made the molten rock more viscous and more explosive on eruption.

“Our study suggests this phenomenon isn’t limited to Iceland, where increased volcanicity has been observed, but could also occur in Antarctica,” he said. “Other continental regions, like parts of North America, New Zealand and Russia, also now warrant closer scientific attention.”

Previous research has shown volcanic activity increased globally by two to six times after the last ice age, but the Chilean study was one of the first to show how this happened. A similar phenomenon was reported via the analysis of rocks in eastern California in 2004.

A recent review by scientists found there had been relatively little study on how the climate crisis had been affecting volcanic activity. They said more research was “critically important” in order to be better prepared for the damage caused by volcanic eruptions to people and their livelihoods and for possible climate-volcano feedback loops that could amplify the climate crisis. For example, more extreme rainfall is also expected to increase violent explosive eruptions.

NASA recently captured a light phenomenon known as an “atmospheric sprite” over Mexican territory, near the border with the United States. This event, which looks like an inverted red lightning strike, was photographed from the International Space Station (ISS). 

Sprites — more formally, transient luminous events or TLEs —  are rare electrical discharges that occur between 50 and 90 km above the Earth’s surface, in the mesosphere. 

Just. Wow. As we went over Mexico and the U.S. this morning, I caught this sprite.

Sprites are TLEs or Transient Luminous Events, that happen above the clouds and are triggered by intense electrical activity in the thunderstorms below. We have a great view above the clouds, so… pic.twitter.com/dCqIrn3vrA

— Nichole “Vapor” Ayers (@Astro_Ayers) July 3, 2025

Unlike traditional lightning, which shoots downward, sprites shoot upward from the tops of storm clouds, forming branching, reddish or bluish structures that can extend up to 96 km above the storm. They typically last only fractions of a second, making them difficult to observe from the ground.

The geographic location and frequency of convective thunderstorms make Mexico’s skies an ideal environment for the sprite phenomenon. 

“Just. Wow. As we went over Mexico and the U.S. this morning, I caught this sprite,” Nichole Ayers, the astronaut who took the photograph, wrote in her official Instagram account, accompanied by the image taken from space.

The ISS offers a privileged view for capturing these phenomena, as they can be observed from space above the clouds. 

According to Ayers, sprite images help scientists better understand the formation of these electrical events, their relationship to storms, and their impact on the upper atmosphere. They also contribute to improving weather and atmospheric electrical activity models.

Ayers’s image aligns with NASA’s “Spritacular” project, an initiative that seeks to collect images of these events.

Sprites were first photographed in 1989, and although pilots had previously reported them, they remain enigmatic and little-studied due to their transience and altitude. The recent image captured by NASA represents an important contribution to atmospheric science and the understanding of these electrical phenomena.

With reports from El Imparcial and W Radio

Newswise — Instead of a tempest in a teapot, imagine the cosmos in a canister. Scientists have performed experiments using nested, spinning cylinders to confirm that an uneven wobble in a ring of electrically conductive fluid like liquid metal or plasma causes particles on the inside of the ring to drift inward. Since revolving rings of plasma also occur around stars and black holes, these new findings imply that the wobbles can cause matter in those rings to fall toward the central mass and form planets.

The scientists found that the wobble could grow in a new, unexpected way. Researchers already knew that wobbles could grow from the interaction between plasma and magnetic fields in a gravitational field. But these new results show that wobbles can more easily arise in a region between two jets of fluid with different velocities, an area known as a free shear layer.

“This finding shows that the wobble might occur more often throughout the universe than we expected, potentially being responsible for the formation of more solar systems than once thought,” said Yin Wang, a staff research physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and lead author of the paper reporting the results in Physical Review Letters. “It’s an important insight into the formation of planets throughout the cosmos.”

The findings follow up on previous results from 2022 that focused on a simpler picture of fluid behavior. Together, the two findings strengthen the evidence that a type of plasma wobble known as the magnetorotational instability (MRI) can cause the formation of planets from so-called accretion disks of matter circling stars.

Creating a stellar accretion disk in a lab

The original experiment occurred in 2022 and involved PPPL’s MRI Experiment, a device consisting of two nested metal cylinders, each around 1 foot high and 2 inches wide, that can spin at different rates. The scientists created regions of galinstan — a fluid mixture of the elements gallium, iridium and tin — that mimicked how different parts of an accretion disk move at varying speeds. The scientists then applied a magnetic field.

Using computer programs to analyze the 2022 results, the scientists confirmed that they had created a form of the MRI in which magnetic field lines do not have the same orientation around and through the plasma. Instead, they wound around in a twisting shape, interlacing through the free shear layer and developing different strengths in different orientations.

Just as in the 2022 result, the wobble causes particles on the outside of the plasma to move more quickly and those on the inside to move more slowly. While the quick particles can gain so much speed that they fly off into space, the slow particles can fall inward and coalesce into bodies, including planets.

Using computer codes to interpret observations

The scientists confirmed the findings using the computer programs SFEMaNS and Dedalus to create plasma simulations based on data from the earlier 2022 experiments. “Those computer simulations confirmed our previous experimental analyses, but they also opened up different frontiers to help us understand what that data meant,” said Fatima Ebrahimi, a principal research physicist at PPPL and one of the paper’s co-authors.

The new simulations showed the researchers that this uneven wobble, or nonaxisymmetric MRI, is a type of magnetohydrodynamic instability. It resembles turbulence caused by the meeting of fluids of different velocities — like the swirls caused by an airplane flying through a cloud — but with added complexity caused by a magnetic field. Similar turbulence occurs on the sun’s surface and in the region of space influenced by Earth’s magnetic field.

Uncovering a longstanding enigma

“The simulations showed that in situations when two fluids with different velocities meet and mix, creating a free shear layer, a large-scale nonaxisymmetric MRI can grow, which makes the whole disk wobble,” Ebrahimi said. “This new understanding has led to new physics that helps solve a long-standing astrophysical mystery.”

Collaborators included Erik Gilson, head of PPPL’s discovery plasma science; Hantao Ji, a PPPL distinguished research fellow and professor of astrophysical sciences at Princeton University; Jeremy Goodman, a professor of astrophysical sciences at Princeton University; and Hongke Lu, a summer intern.

This research was supported by DOE under contract number DE-AC02-09CH11466, NASA under grant number NNH15AB25I, the National Science Foundation under grant number AST-2108871 and the Max-Planck-Princeton Center for Fusion and Astro Plasma Physics.

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PPPL is mastering the art of using plasma — the fourth state of matter — to solve some of the world’s toughest science and technology challenges. Nestled on Princeton University’s Forrestal Campus in Plainsboro, New Jersey, our research ignites innovation in a range of applications, including fusion energy, nanoscale fabrication, quantum materials and devices, and sustainability science. The University manages the Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which is the nation’s single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences. Feel the heat at https://energy.gov/science and http://www.pppl.gov. 

 

Low-density amorphous ice is one of the most common solid materials in the Universe and a key material for understanding the many famous anomalies of liquid water. Yet, despite its significance and its discovery nearly 90 years ago, its structure is debated. In a new study, researchers from University College London and the University of Cambridge found that computer simulations of low-density amorphous ice best matched measurements from previous experiments if the ice was not fully amorphous but contained tiny crystals — about 3 nm wide, slightly wider than a single strand of DNA — embedded within its disordered structures. In an experimental work, they also re-crystallized (i.e. warmed up) real samples of amorphous ice that had formed in different ways. They found that the final crystal structure varied depending on how the amorphous ice had originated. If the ice had been fully amorphous (fully disordered), the researchers concluded, it would not retain any imprint of its earlier form.

“We now have a good idea of what the most common form of ice in the Universe looks like at an atomic level,” said Dr. Michael Davies, a researcher at University College London and the University of Cambridge.

“This is important as ice is involved in many cosmological processes, for instance in how planets form, how galaxies evolve, and how matter moves around the Universe.”

For their study, Dr Davies and colleagues used two computer models of water.

They froze these virtual ‘boxes’ of water molecules by cooling to minus 120 degrees Celsius (minus 184 degrees Fahrenheit) at different rates.

The different rates of cooling led to varying proportions of crystalline and amorphous ice.

The researchers found that ice that was up to 20% crystalline (and 80% amorphous) appeared to closely match the structure of low-density amorphous ice as found in X-ray diffraction studies (that is, where researchers fire X-rays at the ice and analyze how these rays are deflected).

Using another approach, they created large ‘boxes’ with many small ice crystals closely squeezed together.

The simulation then disordered the regions between the ice crystals reaching very similar structures compared to the first approach with 25% crystalline ice.

In additional experimental work, the scientists created real samples of low-density amorphous ice in a range of ways, from depositing water vapor on to an extremely cold surface (how ice forms on dust grains in interstellar clouds) to warming up what is known as high-density amorphous ice (ice that has been crushed at extremely cold temperatures).

They then gently heated these amorphous ices so they had the energy to form crystals.

They noticed differences in the ices’ structure depending on their origin — specifically, there was variation in the proportion of molecules stacked in a six-fold (hexagonal) arrangement.

This was indirect evidence that low-density amorphous ice contained crystals.

If it was fully disordered, the ice would not retain any memory of its earlier forms.

The findings raised many additional questions about the nature of amorphous ices — for instance, whether the size of crystals varied depending on how the amorphous ice formed, and whether a truly amorphous ice was possible.

“Water is the foundation of life but we still do not fully understand it,” said University of Cambridge’s Professor Angelos Michaelides.

“Amorphous ices may hold the key to explaining some of water’s many anomalies.”

“Ice is potentially a high-performance material in space,” Dr. Davies said.

“It could shield spacecraft from radiation or provide fuel in the form of hydrogen and oxygen.”

“So we need to know about its various forms and properties.”

The findings also have implications for one speculative theory about how life on Earth began.

According to this theory, known as Panspermia, the building blocks of life were carried here on an ice comet, with low-density amorphous ice the space shuttle material in which ingredients such as simple amino acids were transported.

“Our findings suggest this ice would be a less good transport material for these origin of life molecules,” Dr. Davies said.

“That is because a partly crystalline structure has less space in which these ingredients could become embedded.”

“The theory could still hold true, though, as there are amorphous regions in the ice where life’s building blocks could be trapped and stored.”

“Ice on Earth is a cosmological curiosity due to our warm temperatures,” said University College London’s Professor Christoph Salzmann.

“You can see its ordered nature in the symmetry of a snowflake.”

“Ice in the rest of the Universe has long been considered a snapshot of liquid water — that is, a disordered arrangement fixed in place. Our findings show this is not entirely true.”

“Our results also raise questions about amorphous materials in general.”

“These materials have important uses in much advanced technology.”

“For instance, glass fibers that transport data long distances need to be amorphous, or disordered, for their function.”

“If they do contain tiny crystals and we can remove them, this will improve their performance.”

A paper on the findings was published today in the journal Physical Review B.

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Michael Benedict Davies et al. 2025. Low-density amorphous ice contains crystalline ice grains. Phys. Rev. B 112, 024203; doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.112.024203

When folks picture Neanderthals, the image often involves heavy brows, furry pelts, and stone tools. Yet pieces of their DNA are still part of the modern human genome. Recent research suggests that some of these genetic variants inherited from Neanderthals could be linked to autism spectrum disorder.

About 50,000-60,000 years ago, small groups of modern humans trekked out of Africa into Eurasia. They met Neanderthals, exchanged tools, and also exchanged genes through interbreeding.

It has been estimated that Eurasian-derived populations have approximately 2% Neanderthal DNA, which was acquired during introgression events occurring shortly after anatomically modern humans migrated out of Africa.

Later, some descendants journeyed back to Africa, sprinkling a much thinner dusting of Neanderthal genes across the continent.

That genetic shuffling means nearly everyone on Earth carries at least a trace of Neanderthal ancestry, though the amount varies.

Small fragments, big questions

Genetic leftovers can be helpful. Certain Neanderthal alleles boost immune responses or aid survival at high altitudes.

Many others never meshed well with our biology and were slowly weeded out by natural selection. Brain-related genes are especially unforgiving; even minor glitches can prove disruptive.

With the recent sequencing of multiple archaic human genomes, there has been growing interest concerning the influence of archaic human-derived alleles on modern health.

Yet some Neanderthal variants slipped past that filter. They linger in regions tied to perception, memory, and social understanding, sparking curiosity about their subtle effects.

Autism clues in Neanderthal DNA

The study linking autism to Neanderthal DNA was led by researchers from Clemson University and Loyola University.

The authors compared whole-genome data from autistic people, their unaffected siblings, and unrelated controls across diverse ethnic backgrounds.

They saw that both rare and common Neanderthal-derived variants appeared more often in autistic participants.

The pattern wasn’t about carrying more Neanderthal DNA overall; it hinged on possessing particular snippets.

One striking theme involved genes that guide how distant brain regions talk to each other.

Visual-processing circuits appeared to run hotter, while the so-called default mode network, linked to daydreaming and social reflection, ran cooler.

Those connectivity signatures match traits many autistic individuals report – keen pattern recognition alongside social fatigue.

Seeing the world in sharp focus

Functional MRI scans from the same project confirmed this pattern. People who carried a higher load of the identified Neanderthal variants – whether autistic or not – showed stronger signaling in visual areas.

Meanwhile, pathways that normally hum during casual conversation or idle thought stayed quieter.

The result hints that these ancient genes might sculpt a cognitive profile tuned for intense observation and precise motor planning.

Archaeologists note a similar nuance in Neanderthal craftsmanship and stone tool making skills.

Their Levallois technique required stepwise planning, spatial reasoning, and sustained focus – skills that resonate with strengths many autistic thinkers display today.

An evolutionary twist

Why would such variants stick around? One idea points to the small, tight-knit bands Neanderthals likely formed. In that setting, visual scouting for game, shelter, or stone resources could outweigh complex social juggling.

When Homo sapiens groups interbred with them, those advantageous perceptual talents may have proved useful enough to persist.

The study does not argue that Neanderthal DNA “causes” autism. Instead, it suggests that a handful of inherited tweaks can raise the odds of certain traits emerging along a spectrum.

Those traits might have offered benefits in ancestral environments – and still do in fields that prize logic, detail, and pattern spotting.

Neanderthal contributions to autism

Researchers stress that genetics is only part of the autism puzzle. Environment, early development, and countless other genes interact in ways science is still charting.

Even so, identifying concrete Neanderthal contributions helps explain why autism exists worldwide, independent of culture or upbringing.

It also reframes neurodiversity as a legacy of humanity’s mixed heritage rather than a modern anomaly.

Many families notice clusters of analytical talent – mathematicians, engineers, visual artists – scattered among autistic and non-autistic relatives alike. The new findings offer a biological thread connecting those shared gifts.

What happens next?

“We hope this research will lead to further investigation into the ongoing influences of ancient hybridization between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals in brain development, human intelligence, and overall human health, as well as spur work into additional clinical resources for this complex population,” the research team wrote.

Future projects will likely probe other neurodevelopmental conditions, explore how Neanderthal variants interact with modern lifestyles, and refine personalized supports.

As we continue to discover, the story of human evolution didn’t stop with one lineage replacing another. It wove their strengths together, leaving fingerprints that guide our thoughts, perceptions, and innovations in modern humans to this day.

The full study was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

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A Ph.D. student in biomolecular engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has built a software program designed to facilitate the kind of precision genome editing involved in the development of cutting-edge therapeutics for genetic conditions such as certain metabolic or blood disorders, like sickle-cell anemia.

The new tool, CRISPRware, takes its name from CRISPR-Cas9, the workhorse of modern genome editing. At its core, Cas9 is a protein that binds with a short RNA sequence designed to be complementary to a specific region of the genome. This short sequence, called guide RNA, effectively acts as a homing device, directing Cas9 to a precise spot on the DNA. Once there, Cas9 makes a double-strand break that enables researchers to introduce precise changes.

However, a major constraint in CRISPR targeting is a short sequence motif in guide RNA that Cas9 requires for binding. And while many tools exist to help researchers locate guide RNAs for the roughly 20,000 well-annotated protein-coding genes in the human genome, they aren’t as useful for researching novel or less-characterized coding regions.

To address this, Ph.D candidate Eric Malekos developed CRISPRware, allowing users to  design guide RNAs for any region of the genome, accommodating different CRISPR systems and their unique binding-site requirements. The software can scan an entire genome and identify all possible guide RNAs that meet those constraints.

“There was really no good tool for customizing which portions of the genome you want to target,” said Malekos, whose research focuses on small uncharacterized peptides produced from the vast unannotated portions of the genome.

Big influence of small peptides

Despite their small size, these peptides can be highly functional. For example, glucagon-like peptide-1 is only about 60 amino acids long, but it plays a crucial role in regulating blood sugar levels, appetite, and digestion. That peptide is now familiar to many by its abbreviated name, GLP-1, the basis for a class of medications for treating type 2 diabetes that have become widely popular as weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.

Malekos studies these small peptides for their possible roles in the innate immune system and inflammatory responses. He conducts his research in the lab of Susan Carpenter, professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology at UC Santa Cruz. She said CRISPRware is a highly versatile tool that, by integrating it into the widely used UCSC Genome Browser, makes the program more accessible to researchers without bioinformatics expertise. 

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of its launch this year, the UCSC Genome Browser is now accessed by tens of thousands of researchers a day to visualize, annotate, and study genomes of thousands of different species from humans to viruses. “Eric’s tool helps democratize the use of CRISPR by greatly reducing the need for computational expertise,” Carpenter said.

The recent milestone of the first human to successfully receive a CRISPR-based personalized gene-therapy treatment—for a rare and incurable genetic disease called carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 (CPS1) deficiency—is a powerful example of the type of breakthrough CRISPRware can play a role in enabling, Carpenter added.

Leveraging a popular platform

Most current bioinformatics tools remain inaccessible to non-specialists. But by integrating CRISPRware’s outputs directly into the UCSC Genome Browser—a platform already familiar to many researchers—the tool becomes approachable to many more. Scientists without deep computational skills can:

• quickly browse entire libraries of precomputed guide RNAs for six model organisms
• zoom in on their gene or region of interest
• select optimal guides without needing to write code or set up complex software

“This approach lowers the barrier to entry, helping spread CRISPR’s benefits across the entire life-sciences community,” Malekos said. “CRISPRware’s usability is definitely another major asset.”

In addition, the tool enables high-throughput CRISPR-based screening. Rather than testing one region at a time, researchers can systematically screen thousands of candidate peptides to discover those that matter in key contexts such as immunity. This kind of large-scale approach is critical for mapping the so-called “dark proteome”—the previously unseen world of short functional proteins hidden in our genome.

Proven across model species

To validate the CRISPRware, Malekos ran the tool on the entire genomes of six model species: human, rat, mouse, zebrafish, fruit fly and the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). For each organism, CRISPRware generated comprehensive catalogs of guide RNAs targeting coding regions—offering the research community a robust, accessible resource. 

“Whether you’re working on C. elegans or a fruit fly, this ensures that researchers studying any of these organisms can quickly identify optimal guide RNAs for their experiments,” Carpenter said.

The tool is presented in a paper titled “CRISPRware: a software package for contextual gRNA library design,” published on July 1 in BMC Genomics. CRISPRware’s development was supported by a prestigious F31 fellowship from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)—a recognition of the project’s potential to advance biomedical science.

Additional support came from an R35 MIRA grant awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), further underscoring the national investment in cutting-edge precision-medicine-enabling research.