The Download: gene-edited chickens, and China’s green companies
The news: Gene editing could help prevent chickens from catching and spreading bird flu, new research suggests.
How they did it: Researchers used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to alter the DNA of 10 chickens to resist the bird flu virus and then exposed all of them to a low dose of it. Only one of the 10 chickens caught the virus, and that chicken did not pass it on to any others.
Why it matters: Bird flu has killed millions of both wild and farmed birds across the world in recent years. It’s increasingly affecting mammals as well, making the task of finding ways to curb it even more urgent. Read the full story.
—Abdullahi Tsanni
These Chinese companies prove green tech can be profitable
Last week, MIT Technology Review released a brand-new list: 15 Climate Tech Companies to Watch. These are the companies from all around the world that we think have the potential to make a significant impact on the future of our climate.
Among them are two Chinese companies you should know about. One is BYD, the world’s top electric-vehicle maker, which has just produced its 500 millionth EV. Its cars are making EVs far more accessible, and could ultimately help countries including China to dramatically reduce emissions from transportation.
The other is GEM, which stands for Green Eco-Manufacture; it makes the supply chain for batteries more environmentally friendly by recycling the minerals in them.
