August 9, 2013
[Interview with Craig Venter] Where are we in the hype cycle of synthetic biology? My complaint is that there are more books and news articles than there are primary scientific papers. I am probably the biggest critic of the hypesters, … Read More
August 5, 2013
Aquinas on the Beginning and Ending of Human Life is a close look at how St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the foremost theologians and philosophers of the Middle Ages, grappled with the issue of when human life begins. (Forbes)
July 22, 2013
Hair loss is a common disorder that affects many men and women due to aging or medical conditions. Current FDA-approved drugs can minimize further hair loss but are unable to regrow new hair. The Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) … Read More
July 15, 2013
The interior of a living cell is a crowded place, with proteins and other macromolecules packed tightly together. A team of scientists at Carnegie Mellon University has approximated this molecular crowding in an artificial cellular system and found that tight … Read More
July 15, 2013
Researchers have developed a new method to produce stem cells using designed proteins. The new system is more precise and more natural than current techniques and the team believe it could be a more efficient and safer route to producing … Read More
July 12, 2013
In the risky field of synthetic biology, it’s the amateurs who are behaving responsibly. (The Telegraph)
July 12, 2013
Scientists have created genetically engineered mice with artificial human chromosomes in every cell of their bodies, as part of a series of studies showing that it may be possible to treat genetic diseases with a radically new form of gene … Read More
July 11, 2013
The scientists are joining an international effort to build the world’s first synthetic yeast genome from scratch, using groundbreaking techniques that are set to transform the field of biology. (The Guardian)
July 10, 2013
Craig Venter, the über-DNA jockey who quietly sequenced the human genome using his own DNA, then made “synthetic life” by outfitting a gutted bacterium with homemade genes, says his next trick will be emailing biological molecules, using 3D biological printers. … Read More
July 8, 2013
Synthetic biology researchers at Northwestern University, working with partners at Harvard Medical School, have for the first time synthesized ribosomes — cell structures responsible for generating all proteins and enzymes in our bodies — from scratch in a test tube. … Read More
July 4, 2013
Last month, DNA2.0 deposited gene sequences encoding three of its fluorescent proteins into an open-access collection of recipes for DNA ‘parts’, molecular building blocks used to engineer organisms — often bacteria — to carry out specific functions. The company vows … Read More
June 13, 2013
Kevin Munnelly is the President and CEO of Gen9, a company founded by some of the biggest names in synthetic biology research to commercialize a better way of synthesizing DNA. In a recent article published in the journal ACS Synthetic … Read More
June 11, 2013
The MIT Center for International Studies and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars are collaborating on a $233,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help realize potential benefits and to address potential ecological effects of synthetic biology. … Read More
June 5, 2013
The US government has no problem with this prospect, yet some experts and industry watchers are jittery. They fear that distributing the plants could set a precedent for unsupervised releases of synthetic organisms, and might foster a negative public perception … Read More
June 5, 2013
Biology is on the verge of getting its versions of the lever, wheel and axle, pulley and other basic machines that enable engineers to build almost any mechanical device, a new analysis has concluded. The viewpoint article on availability of … Read More
May 29, 2013
A simpler and faster way of producing designer bacteria used in biotechnology processes has been developed by University of Adelaide researchers. The researchers have developed a new one-step bacterial genetic engineering process called ‘clonetegration’, published in the journal ACS Synthetic … Read More
May 15, 2013
Advanced genetic engineering is already changing vaccine development and could make inroads into other branches of medicine. (MIT Technology Review)
May 13, 2013
For years, scientists have hoped that biology would find its engineering counterpart – a series of principles that could be used as reliably as chemical engineering is for chemistry. Thanks to major advances in synthetic biology, those hopes may soon … Read More
May 1, 2013
The number of private and public entities conducting research in synthetic biology worldwide grew significantly between 2009 and 2013, according to the latest version of an interactive map produced by the Synthetic Biology Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center … Read More
April 25, 2013
As tools for engineering life’s building blocks have proliferated in recent years, our definition of human life has become more expansive. For example, we are learning that the vast ecosystems of microbes inside our bodies are as integral to our … Read More
April 17, 2013
But worries persist about unintended consequences of tinkering with nature. (Nature)
April 1, 2013
New research published in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology describes genetically engineered Escherichia coli bacteria being addicted to caffeine in a way that promises practical uses ranging from decontamination of wastewater to bioproduction of medications for asthma. (Sci-news.com)
April 1, 2013
The field of synthetic biology is hugely exciting but it’s provoked fears of bioterrorism and man-made plagues – so do the benefits really outweigh the risks? (Yahoo News, UK)
March 28, 2013
These are just some of the applications that synthetic biology – applying engineering principles to biological parts – could make possible. That goal is looking more likely now that, for the first time, researchers have established a set of rules … Read More
March 21, 2013
National survey finds three out of four adults have heard little or nothing about the emerging technology. (Sacramento Bee) Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/20/5277336/synthetic-biology-remains-a-mystery.html#storylink=cpy
