DailyDirt: Synthetic Biology Is Growing Up

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Biology has inspired artists and scientists and engineers to create all kinds of things from velcro to still life paintings. Living organisms have a seemingly endless supply of tricks up their sleeves, so why not try to use some biological mechanisms to do our bidding? Scientists can already re-create some biology by growing organs that could be used for transplants and by creating an (almost) completely synthetic cell based on a bacterium that normally infects goats (search for J. Craig Venter). Synthetic biology still has a long way to go, but it's a field that is maturing quickly. Here are just a few links on this fast-growing biotechnology. If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.
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Filed Under: artificial organisms, biology, biotech, genetic engineering, gmo, life, synthetic biology


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    out_of_the_blue, 30 Oct 2013 @ 6:32pm

    "why not try to use some biological mechanisms to do our bidding?"

    Because I've learned from movies that "playing god" never turns out well. From "Frankenstein" through "Alien" and "Outbreak" to "Jurassic Park", they're all disasters!

    [Yes, I'm serious. The down-side potential is wiping out us and all life on the planet, while the supposed benefits are minor. Just putting it in terms you ankle-biters can understand.]

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2013 @ 7:30pm

      Re: "why not try to use some biological mechanisms to do our bidding?"

      Good idea, equate reality with Hollywood! Just like how Hollywood shows hackers being capable of writing a program from scratch with a fully functioning GUI in minutes. Or dare I say "Armageddon?" Hollywood totally captures reality in every way. There is truly no way bio-engineering can be useful since Hollywood movies say so!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2013 @ 9:01pm

      Re: "why not try to use some biological mechanisms to do our bidding?"

      We know you are serious that is what makes you even more hilarious.

      link to this | view in chronology ]


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