March 13, 2013
For the first time we are close to creating artificial life from scratch. So says Craig Venter, founder of the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Maryland, and famed for creating the first cell with a synthetic genome. (New Scientist)
March 13, 2013
This document examines 10 of the top companies in [synthetic biology] and discusses their positions in these complex patterns of supply and demand, as well as their investments and alliances. The chosen companies have effectively positioned themselves to connect the … Read More
March 5, 2013
Since 2004 investors have poured at least $1.84-billion into synthetic-biology start-ups; the government has added many more millions in research dollars. But more recently, the hype has died down. Most of those companies have made grinding progress, not breakthroughs. (The … Read More
February 13, 2013
MIT engineers have created genetic circuits in bacterial cells that not only perform logic functions, but also remember the results, which are encoded in the cell’s DNA and passed on for dozens of generations. (Science Daily)
February 4, 2013
Scientists report that they have developed a method that cuts down the time it takes to make new ‘parts’ for microscopic biological factories from two days to only six hours. (Phys.org)
December 18, 2012
Writing in PNAS, the researchers have shown that the emerging field of synthetic biology can be used to manipulate hydrocarbon chemicals, found in soaps and shampoos, in cells. (Science Daily)
December 17, 2012
Tom Knight got the bug for bioscience while he was a computer engineer at MIT. He founded the synthetic biology field and help set up bioengineering company Ginkgo BioWorks. He says we’ll soon be able to engineer living things with … Read More
November 9, 2012
In response to the recent publication of “Hacking the President’s DNA,†I’ve been fielding a lot of general questions about synthetic biology. I thought I’d put together a little primer for my readers. (Forbes)
November 7, 2012
Synthetic Biology: Challenges and Opportunities for the UK takes place in London on Wednesday 14 November with a live video link to the Great Hall of the Wills Memorial Building. Following an introduction at 5.45 pm, the live feed will … Read More
October 22, 2012
Yes, you can teach old bacteria new tricks. It is now routine to genetically reprogram microbes to make plastics, biofuels, vaccines and antibiotics. They have been engineered to detect arsenic levels in drinking water, destroy cancer cells and store digital … Read More
October 19, 2012
Is it safe to let humans play God and create new organisms – animals and plants – that have never existed in Mother Nature? The ongoing UN Convention on Biodiversity here [Hyderabad] is going to address this question on Friday … Read More
October 17, 2012
In a request released Sept. 14 of this year, the Office Of Naval Research sought to find proposals for “Synthetic Biology Tools for Sensing and Bioprocessing” — essentially hybrid, organic inorganic “sensing” robots. (Business Insider)
October 12, 2012
In “Regenesis,” a book exploring the science of synthetic biology, George Church and Ed Regis imagine a world where micro-organisms are capable of producing clean petroleum or detecting arsenic in drinking water, where people sport genetic modifications that render their … Read More
October 10, 2012
Research to translate viral sequencing to vaccines could be a step in preventing pandemics [report on J. Craig Venter’s presentation at the Atlantic Meets the Pacific forum]. (The Atlantic)
October 8, 2012
Using genes as interchangeable parts, synthetic biologists design cellular circuits that can perform new functions, such as sensing environmental conditions. However, the complexity that can be achieved in such circuits has been limited by a critical bottleneck: the difficulty in … Read More
October 4, 2012
In the future, genetically modified organisms could be making our medicines, our fuel, our housewares, our houses — and they could even help us remake ourselves. All that may sound like science-fiction, but the future is already arriving, in the … Read More
October 1, 2012
More extensive international efforts need to be taken to prevent biotechnology being used to commit biological terrorism, a U.N. official says. (UPI)
September 25, 2012
While some may believe that science is better left to scientists, hundreds of amateur biologists around the world have been setting-up makeshift biology labs in their homes, garages and community centres. (Wired)
September 17, 2012
Synthetic biology combines science and engineering in the pursuit of two general goals: to design and construct new biological parts, devices, and systems not found in nature; and redesigning existing natural biology systems for useful purposes. (Phys.org)
September 3, 2012
They beat like real heart cells, but the rat cardiomyocytes in a dish at Harvard University are different in one crucial way. Snaking through them are wires and transistors that spy on each cell’s electrical impulses. In future, the wires … Read More
May 23, 2012
The military-industrial complex just got a little bit livelier. Quite literally. That’s because Darpa, the Pentagon’s far-out research arm, has kicked off a program designed to take the conventions of manufacturing and apply them to living cells. (Wired)
May 23, 2012
Researchers have encoded a form of rewritable memory into DNA. (Nature News)
May 15, 2012
Aggressive fertility treatments practised at IVF clinics in the UK are putting women and babies at risk, experts say. Â (The Telegraph)
May 3, 2012
June 25-27, 2012 Rotterdam, The Netherlands This conference will discuss key issues relevant for the future, including future technologies in health care, ethics and research in developing countries, synthetic biology, enhancement, life-prolonging strategies, environmental issues, the moral responsibility for future … Read More
April 19, 2012
Scientists have created artificial genetic material that can store information and evolve over generations in a similar way to DNA – a feat expected to drive research in medicine and biotechnology, and shed light on how molecules first replicated and … Read More
