日本人の科学者が、ダウン症の原因となる余分な染色体の除去に成功
三重大学の橋詰良太郎博士のチームが開発したのは「アレル特異的編集」技術。
ダウン症の原因は「21番染色体が1本多い」こと。
その余分な染色体を、CRISPRで丸ごと削除することに成功。
3本ある染色体のうち、余分な1本だけをピンポイントで狙い撃ちする。健康な2本には触れない。
余分な染色体が消えた細胞は炎症や代謝に関わる過剰な遺伝子が静まり、脳の発達に関わる遺伝子が活性化し、細胞の分裂速度も正常化した。
ダウン症は700人に1人の割合で生まれる。これまでの治療は「症状の管理」だけだった。
原因そのものに手をつけたのは、これが世界で初めて。
“The video was generated using AI(Grok)”
🚨 NASA’S X-59 JUST BROKE THE SOUND BARRIER AND IT DID IT QUIETLY.
For decades, supersonic flight over land has been banned in most countries because of the loud sonic boom it creates. NASA’s experimental X-59 is trying to change that.
The aircraft, developed with Lockheed Martin, is shaped in a very specific way to reshape the shockwaves that form during supersonic flight. Instead of a loud, window-rattling boom, it’s designed to produce a much softer “thump” that reaches the ground.
In its first supersonic flight, the X-59 reached Mach 1.1 while testing this quiet sonic boom technology.
Why this matters:
• If successful, it could reopen the possibility of supersonic passenger flights over populated areas
• Current supersonic jets (like the retired Concorde) were too loud for overland routes
• The X-59 doesn’t carry passengers — it’s a flying testbed for the technology
• Quieter supersonic flight could dramatically cut long-distance travel times in the future
The deeper implication:
This isn’t just about going faster. It’s about removing one of the biggest barriers that has kept supersonic travel from becoming practical for regular people. For over 50 years, the sonic boom has been the main reason we’ve been stuck flying at subsonic speeds on most routes.
If NASA and its partners can prove that a shaped aircraft can turn a loud boom into a gentle thump, it could fundamentally change how we think about long-distance air travel in the coming decades.
We may be watching the return of supersonic flight just much quieter this time.
Do you think quiet supersonic passenger planes will become a reality in your lifetime?
Follow for more frontier aerospace and aviation technology.
El Jetson ONE, un vehículo aéreo personal, cuesta 128.000 $.
Puedes pilotarlo sin licencia tras un curso de solo 5 días.
Reserva con 8.000 $. Lleva baterías de emergencia, paracaídas balístico y radar con aterrizaje automático.
Velocidad máxima: 102 km/h.