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Getting Back to That Child-like Wonder

"In fact, there is nothing in science that isn't worth being excited about," author Bill Bryson says in the New Scientist in an interview about a new book he edited. The book, Seeing Further, is a collection of science essays from a varied lot of contributors that include Margaret Atwood, Richard Dawkins, Martin Rees, and Steve Jones. Bryson, though, adds that much of the wonder of science isn't communicated to students in science classrooms. He says that he would be lost as his teachers wrote equation after equation on the blackboard.

At Culturing Science, blogger Hannah adds the main challenge to capturing students' interest is the skill set needed to talk about science. "Science needs to be presented as another language used to put order to our world — just like literature or art," she writes.

The Scan

Positive Framing of Genetic Studies Can Spark Mistrust Among Underrepresented Groups

Researchers in Human Genetics and Genomics Advances report that how researchers describe genomic studies may alienate potential participants.

Small Study of Gene Editing to Treat Sickle Cell Disease

In a Novartis-sponsored study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that a CRISPR-Cas9-based treatment targeting promoters of genes encoding fetal hemoglobin could reduce disease symptoms.

Gut Microbiome Changes Appear in Infants Before They Develop Eczema, Study Finds

Researchers report in mSystems that infants experienced an enrichment in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia and a depletion of Bacteroides before developing eczema.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Specificity Enhanced With Stem Cell Editing

A study in Nature suggests epitope editing in donor stem cells prior to bone marrow transplants can stave off toxicity when targeting acute myeloid leukemia with immunotherapy.