Tree vaccines and gene-edited butterflies among biotechnology projects funded by UK ‘invention agency’

Exclusive: The tax-funded brainchild of Dominic Cummings hopes to find ways to speed up wild species’ evolution Vaccines for ash trees, skin treatments for newts and gene-edited swallowtail butterflies are among 14 tax-funded projects from the UK’s “ invention agency ” aiming to accelerate nature’s ability to adapt to the climate crisis.

The £54m accelerated adaptation programme from the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Aria) – a public body that funds high-risk,…