Anti-cancer bacteria and ChatGPT in the classroom

The news: There are trillions of microbes living in and on our bodies, and we might be able to modify them to help us treat disease. Scientists have modified the genomes of some of these bacteria, essentially creating microbes capable of preventing or treating cancer.

How they did: The team took a microbe commonly found on human skin and modified it by inserting a new gene that codes for a protein found on the surface of some cancer cells. They applied it to the heads of mice injected with skin cancer cells and observed how cancer progression was significantly slowed in mice that received the modified microbe, compared to those that received a regular microbe.

And after: Although the team needs to find a good candidate microbe that they are confident could trigger the same immune response in humans, human trials are planned in the next few years. Read the full story.

—Jessica Hamzelou

Banning ChatGPT will do more harm than good

—Rohan Mehta is a high school student at Moravian Academy in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

The release of ChatGPT sent shockwaves through the halls of education. Although universities have rushed to release guidelines on how it can be used, the notion of a measured response to the emergence of this powerful chatbot seems to have barely penetrated K-12 classrooms. As a result, high school students across the country have faced a silent blow of blocked AI websites.

It’s a shame. If educators actively engage with students about the capabilities and limitations of technology and work with them to set new academic standards, generative AI could both democratize and revitalize K-12 education at a unprecedented scale. Read the full story.