Synthetic Biology
This four-step blueprint can help synthetic biology innovators disrupt the status quo
Synthetic biology could disrupt some of the world’s biggest industries. Here are four steps to building a ‘syn-bio’ strategy ...
Clear plastic from slimy seaweed? Wild algae poised to become packaging alternative of the future
There’s seven million square kilometres of seaweed already growing around the world — about the same size as the Amazon ...
‘Growing chicken from animal cells’: FDA appears poised to approve second US lab-grown meat
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced this week that it has completed its second pre-market consultation with a ...
Lack of hazard assessments could dampen approvals of cell-based meat
An assessment of hazards in cell-based meat products has found considerable gaps in knowledge. There are several areas where data ...
AI can generate new protein patterns in seconds. What are the risks?
Nature took millions of years to design proteins. AI can generate meaningful protein sequences in seconds. While there are good ...
Lab-grown meat and other alternatives to farming could free up Earth’s farmland for conservation or development
Here’s the basic problem for conservation at a global level: food production, biodiversity and carbon storage in ecosystems are competing for ...
Plant-based clean energy solutions are on the horizon
At a laboratory at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) in Bergen, we find Professor Dhayalan Velauthapillai hard ...
Rethinking the ‘clean cosmetics’ movement: ‘It’s reductive to think that just because it’s biotech it’s inherently more sustainable’
For a class of ingredients that stack so many sustainability wins, why aren’t more of our everyday products packed with ...
Viewpoint: ‘Imagine grilling lab-grown steak on your patio with bricks made from bacteria’ — Regulations stymie US biomanufacturing benefits
Breakthroughs in biomanufacturing could position the U.S. economy for new possibilities that reshape industries — and maintain our global competitiveness ...
‘Infusing beans with a new genetic blueprint’: Synthetic biology startup engineers soybeans to produce ingredients for cancer drugs, vaccines and infant formula
As a first-generation college student turned molecular biologist, Brian DeDecker imagines a day when these humble soybeans, which his family ...
Cell-based? Lab-grown? Synthetic? Budding cultured meat industry needs global standardized nomenclature
What would you call a food that’s made by cultivating animal cells in a tank? Is it still “steak” or ...
Leather jacket look-alikes made from shrimp shells? Check out this biomaterial innovation made from ‘chitosan’
TômTex’s model aims to tackle two problems at once: finding biodegradable materials for garment manufacturers and upcycling mountains of marine ...
Viewpoint: Before you blindly endorse a ‘meatless future’ to limit greenhouse gasses and protect the environment, read this
Many activists and reporters claim we should eat little or no meat to prevent climate change. But instead of presenting ...
Regulating lab meat: While the European Union drags its feet, Singapore and the US develop regulatory models for assessments and approvals
Both the US and Singapore have seen cultivated meat products pass through their regulatory processes, yet the two governments approach ...
‘Good for climate and welfare’: Assisted fertilization in development for pigs, but some animal rights groups push back
A research group at the Norwegian company Norsvin will study better methods for fertilizing pigs in the laboratory and transporting ...
Viewpoint: ‘Our planet is at a breaking point’ — Is it time to foster innovations like precision fermentation and cultivated meat to realign food systems with climate reality?
Many of us have enjoyed a boom of eating what we want, when we want it, and are only now ...
How cloning, gene editing and synthetic biology can help humanity stop the anticipated sixth extinction crisis
The world has entered the sixth extinction crisis with the loss of species having a devastating impact on the biodiversity ...
Lab meat regulations: Comparing Israel to Europe — What works best?
Israel is a hotbed of cultivated meat activity, with three of the first eight cultivated meat companies in the world ...
GLP Podcast & Video: Synthetic biology makes $10,000 perfume way cheaper; ‘Fashionable organic fantasies’ at the WEF; Sleeping pills cause dementia?
A bottle of perfume used to cost more than $10,000. The price has dropped precipitously thanks to advancements in synthetic ...
Microalgae-based cosmetics? Popularity of new skin care products not yet matched by science
According to Mintel’s GNPD (Global New Product Database), in 2022, 22.2% of new US skincare product launches included chlorella or ...
$10,500 for a bottle of perfume made with 8,000 flowers? Synthetic biology makes royal fragrances available at a fraction of that price
Perfume has historically been the indulgence of the rich. Many of the ingredients used by the nobility to scent the ...
What might dogs eat in a post-meat era ushered in by climate change?
As managing director of British startup Yora Pet Foods, Rankin’s job is figuring out how to lure dogs — or ...
Will China’s latest Five Year Plan jump start food made with synthetic biology?
In 2021, China’s 14th five-year plan announced the importance of securing protein supply through cellular agriculture and synthetic dairy. It was the ...
Sustainable eating: Will politics slow adoption of cultivated foods and other technological innovations?
Cultivated meat is grown and harvested without traditional animal agriculture. A life cycle analysis of the cultivated meat industry by CE Delft, ...
Are plant-based meats a healthy, sustainable alternative to traditional cuts — or is it just good marketing?
Plant-based meats have become more popular in recent years, with consumers being able to find alternatives to everything from hot ...
Anne Hathaway leverages celebrity status and invests in ‘animal-free protein’ and precision fermentation. Will it drive consumer acceptance?
Actress Anne Hathaway’s investment in food-tech startup The Every Co., announced yesterday, brings more than capital – it also brings ...
‘Magic bullet or genetic atom bomb?’: Exploring unintended consequences of using gene drives to eradicate disease-spreading mosquitoes
Every year more than 600,000 people die from mosquito-transmitted malaria, most of them children under age five. Some insects that ...