Synthetic Biology
Viewpoint: The messy details of how lab-grown meat is made
Lab meat—flesh grown in massive tanks instead of in the bodies of sentient animals—offers the promise of having our steak ...
Opinion: Synthetic biology can help protect Africa’s biodiversity
Despite contributing the least to the climate crisis, Africa is experiencing the worst effects of climate change. Our successful adaptation ...
Viewpoint: How precision fermentation is changing the food system — and what you should know
Precision fermentation is a relatively new food technology that is rapidly entering the mainstream. Products such as milk protein, animal fats, collagen, honey, ...
We may soon be able to genetically engineer a synthetic alternative to palm oil, helping to preserve biodiversity. Here are the challenges
Tom Jeffries and Tom Kelleher met at Rutgers University in the 1970s while studying industrially useful microbes. Jeffries went on to ...
We are entering the era of AI biological robots. How can we harness this powerful innovation so it doesn’t control us?
It should come as little surprise that pioneering work in biological robotics is as controversial as it is exciting. Take ...
Genetic engineering breakthrough could cut fossil fuel use in industrial compounds
Rothamsted scientists have engineered a plant to produce a range of vital chemicals used in the manufacture of common everyday ...
Air steaks? This California startup believes it can make meat out of thin air with some help from tweaked bacteria
The company is taking carbon dioxide—the pernicious greenhouse gas warming our planet—and transforming it into a juicy steak or a ...
‘The Genesis Machine’: Examining the future shift away from traditional farming products to lab produced foods
From domestication and selective breeding to synthetic insulin and CRISPR, humanity has long sought understand, master and exploit the genetic ...
Can alcohol-free beer ever taste as good as a genuine brew? Yes, finally, thanks to genetic tinkering
Finally, researchers have found a way to brew non-alcoholic beer that tastes just like regular beer. Even more, the method ...
Cell-based meat products are still in their infancy. Will cultured protein help reduce the environmental impact and welfare concerns of livestock farming?
To meet the increasing demand for food by a growing population in 2050, the FAO has concluded that 70% more ...
From biofertilizers to plastic substitutes, fungi is poised to revolutionize food and industry
To meaningfully address the climate crisis, we must confront our construction practices – and that’s where mushrooms come in. Mycelium ...
Biotech-tweaked plants and meats are the ‘next big thing’ in food — but consumer demand remains a question mark
Upside Foods, which is developing cell-cultured meat, announced its acquisition of Cultured Decadence, a start-up that aims to make seafood from ...
Would you eat bacteria to limit climate change?
Ideas about how to reform agriculture to make it less destructive vary widely, ranging from organic farming and eating less ...
Breeding genetically modified cloned pigs for human transplants
German scientists plan to clone and then breed this year genetically modified pigs to serve as heart donors for humans, ...
Viewpoint: Essential to feeding the world, synthetic fertilizers have negative environmental impacts. Here’s how genetic engineering can change that
Much of the world is preoccupied with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but there are other global challenges, including climate change, ...
China’s ‘future foods’: Lab grown meat and plant-based eggs on 5-year plan food and agriculture policy table
China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has set the lab-grown meat industry abuzz with the release of its official five-year agricultural plan ...
Viewpoint: Why consumers will ignore new ‘bioengineered’ labels
The USDA’s mandatory labeling for bioengineered crops (f/k/a GMO) went into effect January 1st. But will it actually change consumer ...
Blue steak: Here’s how one start-up believes it can crack the cell-based food market with whole-cut tenderloins and filets
Barcelona-based bioengineering startup Novameat claims to have created the world's first meat substitute composed of ingredients sourced from every one of the ...
Viewpoint: Will successful GMO pig heart and kidney transplants challenge anti-biotechnology mindsets?
What if pigs were to grow hearts and save human lives? This dream became a reality earlier this month when ...
A new wave of cow-free milk options are hitting the market. How will traditional dairy farmers fare?
A new wave of cow-less dairy is hitting the market. In the United States, Perfect Day is using genetically modified fungi ...
‘No simple answer’: Will cell-based meat and fish gain acceptance as Halal or Kosher?
As cultured animal proteins begin to hit markets worldwide, consumers are looking to religious authorities for answers on whether lab-grown ...
A million animal and plant species are at risk of extinction. Could we tweak their genes to help them adapt to a changing world?
The United Nations has warned that about a million animal and plant species are at risk of extinction. In response, conservation breeding ...
Famed Israeli food critic was challenged to a taste test to choose between cell-grown and natural chicken. Here’s what happened
Renowned Israeli gastronome Michal Ansky knows her food. She’s a professional taster and a Master Chef judge. So when she was invited ...
What’s on the alternative meat UK menu: Plant-based proteins, cultivated meat and edible insects
New research from the Food Standards Agency is investigating how willing consumers are to taste test alternative protein products. The ...
Ethical concerns drive embrace of plant-based proteins — but not cultivated meat
The ultimate success of cell-cultured meat depends on consumer acceptance. What factors are driving, or hindering, uptake? Consumer studies indicated ...
CRISPR climate game changer: What if we engineered rice to dramatically cut methane emissions?
The complexity of microbial communities has been a major obstacle to discovering technologies that can prevent diseases and improve agriculture ...
Reversing deforestation and biodiversity loss: Can synthetic palm oil help protect the world’s tropical forests?
The world’s cheapest and most widely used vegetable oil, palm oil production is a primary driver of deforestation and biodiversity loss in ...