What is synbio and how could it be used to preserve our biodiversity and ecosystem?
Synthetic biology or synbio is a broad and dynamic field of innovation encompassing the design and construction of new biological parts that redesign existing natural biological systems to address real-time and real-world problems.
This technology is already being put into use for sustainable production of bioenergy, drugs, and food. An interesting application of synbio is its usage for the capture of carbon dioxide from industrial emissions.
The captured gas is then recycled to fuels using microorganisms. Potentially, such transformations comprise benefits ranging from protecting threatened species to providing synthetic alternatives to wildlife products.
These capabilities have ripple effects and they benefit researchers pursuing avenues that were not economically viable or scientifically feasible.
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To reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we need to walk extra miles beyond reducing emissions. We should reinstate ecological balance and cut down pollution and plastic waste from our industrial processes and day-to-day activities.
Advances in synthetic biology will be just a part of the solution to some of the most severe threats to the environment including reducing chemical and plastic pollution, recycling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and conserving biodiversity.
