To understand the machinery of life, this scientist breaks it on purpose – Phys.org

“I’m fascinated with life, and that’s why I want to break it.”
This is how Betül Kaçar, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona with appointments in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Department of Astronomy and the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, describes her research. What may sound callous is a legitimate scientific approach in astrobiology. Known as ancestral sequencing, the idea is to “resurrect” genetic sequences from the dawn of life, put them to work in the c…

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