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Bacteria store fragments of viral DNA to recognise and slice invading viruses. The figure is taken from Nobel Prize, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

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CRISPR originated as a bacterial defense against viral infections

Bacteria store fragments of viral DNA to recognise and slice invading viruses

CRISPR sequences were first discovered in bacteria as an adaptive immune mechanism designed to defeat bacteriophage viruses. Bacteria capture snippets of invading viral DNA and store them within their own genome to guide Cas nucleases to cut matching viral sequences during future attacks. Molecular biologists adapted this system into a revolutionary genome editing tool.

Where this comes from

Nobel Prize

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Tags: biology, crispr, genetics

CRISPR originated as a bacterial defense against viral infections: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Bacteria store fragments of viral DNA to recognise and slice invading viruses. The figure is taken from Nobel Prize, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a science fact?: Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.