April 10, 2017
(Reuters) – Scientists are getting closer to building life from scratch and technology pioneers are taking notice, with record sums moving into a field that could deliver novel drugs, materials, chemicals and even perfumes. Despite ethical and safety concerns, investors … Read More
April 10, 2017
(Slate) – As with many new fields, synthetic biology—which incorporates disparate disciplines like engineering, computer science, biotechnology, and molecular biology—is hard to pin down. But a rough working definition says that it is the application of the principles of engineering … Read More
April 6, 2017
(The Verge) – The field of synthetic biology, or engineering new forms of life, is less than two decades old, but its pioneers are responsible for some of the most interesting projects coming out of labs today: inscribing lines of … Read More
March 28, 2017
(Science) – Computer hardware is getting a softer side. A research team has come up with a way of genetically engineering the DNA of mammalian cells to carry out complex computations, in effect turning the cells into biocomputers. The group … Read More
March 9, 2017
(The Washington Post) – In a significant advance toward creating the first “designer” complex cell, scientists say they are one-third of the way to synthesizing the complete genome of baker’s yeast. In seven studies published Thursday in the journal Science, the researchers describe how … Read More
March 8, 2017
(Nature) – In 2000, two landmark papers started a revolution in our ability to design entirely new functions inside cells. The authors took two electronic circuits — an oscillator and a switch — and built the equivalent from living matter. … Read More
February 14, 2017
NanoEthics (vol. 10, no. 3, 2016) is available online by subscription only. Articles include: “A Lay Ethics Quest for Technological Futures: About Tradition, Narrative and Decision-Making” by Simone van der Burg “Contrasting Medical Technology with Deprivation and Social Vulnerability. Lessons for the Ethical … Read More
February 8, 2017
(Chemistry World) – Artificial cells have been created that can ‘talk’ to bacteria – the first time two-way chemical communication between synthetic cells and natural cells has been achieved. The work could provide a much sought after yardstick to determine … Read More
February 1, 2017
(Quartz) – All of life, as we know it, is created from the same four letters: A, T, G, and C. These letters form the basis of DNA, and the way they are laid out in our genetic code is … Read More
January 24, 2017
(The Guardian) – From the moment life gained a foothold on Earth its story has been written in a DNA code of four letters. With G, T, C and A – the molecules that pair up in the DNA helix … Read More
December 23, 2016
(The Guardian) – Synthetic biology is often described as the application of engineering principles to biology. Some see it a fundamentally new approach to biology; others as the next stage of biotechnology; and others as simply an exercise in rebranding. … Read More
November 2, 2016
Nature Biotechnology (vol. 34, no. 10, 2016) is available online by subscription only. Articles include: “Synthetic biology firms pivot from biofuels to cheap biologics” by Cormac Sheridan
October 27, 2016
(JAMA) – As part of his 1984 doctoral thesis, Church developed and described the first direct DNA sequencing method that became the precursor to modern-day next-generation sequencing approaches. Church was involved in launching the Human Genome Project and received 1 … Read More
October 3, 2016
(The Guardian) – The simplicity and low cost of tools to edit the genetic code means “garage scientists” – or amateurs with some skill – can now perform their own experiments, posing a potential risk from the release of GM … Read More
September 6, 2016
Science and Engineering Ethics (vol. 22, no. 4, 2016) is available online by subscription only. Articles include: “Gain-of-Function Research: Ethical Analysis” by Michael J. Selgelid “Six Challenges for Ethical Conduct in Science” by Petteri Niemi “The Essential Need for Research Misconduct Allegation Audits” by … Read More
August 31, 2016
Science, Technology, and Human Values (vol. 41, no. 5, 2016) is available online by subscription only. Articles include: “The Vulnerability of Cyborgs: The Case of ICD Shocks” by Nelly Oudshoorn “Bioinformatics and the Politics of Innovation in the Life Sciences: … Read More
August 19, 2016
(STAT News) – At first glance the advance seems abstruse, promising anodyne applications such as making genetically modified bacteria that resist viral infection. (Those infections are problematic for industries that use bacteria to synthesize chemicals and drugs, costing them billions of dollars … Read More
August 5, 2016
NanoEthics (vol. 10, no. 2, 2016) is available online by subscription only. Articles include: “Informed Consent in Asymmetrical Relationships: An Investigation into Relational Factors that Influence Room for Reflection” by Shannon Lydia Spruit, Ibo van de Poel, and Neelke Doorn “CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing – New and … Read More
July 13, 2016
(Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News) – The advance of human civilization has been driven by game-changing technologies that give us new capabilities to improve the fundamental aspects of our lives. Examples of such technologies include autonomous vehicles and 3D printing. … Read More
June 3, 2016
(Science) – Although sequencing, analyzing, and editing DNA continue to advance at breakneck pace, the capability to construct DNA sequences in cells is mostly limited to a small number of short segments, restricting the ability to manipulate and understand biological … Read More
June 2, 2016
(The Scientist) – Stripped back to its most basic components, a synthetic or natural biological network consists of a gene that either switches another gene on (activation) or turns it off (repression). By assembling networks from components found in nature, … Read More
June 1, 2016
(MIT Technology Review) – One concern is that making a human genome could have weighty religious and ethical implications. Although the prospect remains remote, people could in theory be designed on computers and born without parents. Other critics said organizers … Read More
May 26, 2016
(The Conversation) – Researchers must rely on journalists for their communication skills and the audience they reach. And journalists will play a crucial role in facilitating the ethical discussion around synthetic biology – one whose stakeholders include scientists as well … Read More
May 19, 2016
(The Guardian) – By their nature, it is often the most controversial, risky and ethically dubious research programmes that are conducted in secret, curtained-off from society in order to protect knowledge and technology not only from public scrutiny but also … Read More
May 13, 2016
NanoEthics (vol. 10, no. 1, 2016) is available online by subscription only. Articles include: “Broadening Discourse on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)” by Christopher Coenen “Laboratory Safety and Nanotechnology Workers: An Analysis of Current Guidelines in the USA” by Jeong Joo … Read More
