Haderach C. Kwisatch<p>"In a study published in Scientific Reports, researchers used <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/CRISPR" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>CRISPR</span></a> gene editing to bring back a gene that humans lost millions of years ago—and in the process, lowered uric acid levels that cause <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/gout" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>gout</span></a> and other conditions.</p><p>"The missing piece is uricase, an enzyme most animals still have. Uricase breaks down uric acid, the waste product that builds up in blood. When levels climb too high, uric acid forms crystals in the joints and kidneys, leading to painful gout, kidney disease and other health problems.</p><p>"Humans and other apes lost the uricase gene roughly 20 to 29 million years ago. Some scientists suggest this wasn't entirely bad at the time. Researchers such as Dr. Richard Johnson at the University of Colorado have proposed that higher uric acid levels helped early primates turn fruit sugar into fat, a survival advantage during food shortages, according to a 2011 study published in Seminars in Nephrology."</p><p><a href="https://news.gsu.edu/2025/08/26/georgia-state-scientists-revive-ancient-gene-to-target-gout-fatty-liver-disease/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">news.gsu.edu/2025/08/26/georgi</span><span class="invisible">a-state-scientists-revive-ancient-gene-to-target-gout-fatty-liver-disease/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:zhq4wxlxtiwc2hznld4w364j/post/3lxfbetweau2p" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">fed.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app</span><span class="invisible">/profile/did:plc:zhq4wxlxtiwc2hznld4w364j/post/3lxfbetweau2p</span></a></p>