Synthetic biology
How good storytelling can help consumers see the benefits of GMOs, synthetic biology
Synthetic biology is a field full of exciting stories .... I asked Karl Schmieder, a seasoned communications and strategy consultant ...
Can synthetic biology help deliver an AI brain as smart as the real thing?
To create artificial general intelligence, we need to study the brain ...
‘Almost no limit’: Synthetic biology has turned the stuff of science fiction into the stuff of science
Synthetic biology, or the application of engineering principles to the design of life, presents world-changing prospects. Could components of a ...
CRISPR gene editing’s ‘prime’ upgrade could snip out 89% of genetic diseases
The new editing technique has the capability to introduce specified changes to the DNA: mutations, deletions, and insertions of new ...
3D-printed plastic bunny contains its own blueprint coded in synthetic DNA
The kumquat-sized bunny, cute as it may be, isn’t a toy or a good luck charm. But if you cut ...
Retinitis pigmentosa cure breakthrough? Next generation of artificial lenses being developed with flexible silicon-like chips to combat genetic blindness
Organic semiconductors can link up with brain cells to send and receive signals. They may find a use in sight-restoring ...
Viewpoint: Synthetic biology, and the quest to engineer life, will define a generation
More than ever, the systemic and slowly unfolding problems in our world today will define my generation. From petroleum-based production ...
Billion-year-old microbes could give us new food, fuel sources—if we can figure out how to use them
We can’t afford to let this potential biotech breakthrough go to waste ...
Virtual reality gets more realistic: Vibrating synthetic skin simulates touch
While they’re still struggling to gain commercial traction, the latest VR headsets are able to transport people to impressive virtual ...
Bioengineering’s ‘holy grail’: Scientists closer to creating printable skin to cover burns, other injuries
Creating a durable, natural-looking skin substitute to cover burn injuries or other wounds has been a bioengineer’s holy grail for decades ...
Artificial lungs grown in ‘hijacked’ mouse embryo could pave way for human transplants
Vaping aside, as dangerous air quality becomes increasingly prevalent in cities around the globe, the risk of serious lung disease ...
Infographic: Creating artificial human chromosomes
To convert a piece of cloned DNA into a centromere-containing human artificial chromosome (HAC), an array of repeated LacO sequences ...
‘Magnetic skin’ turns your body into a remote control, opening doors and controlling lights with a wave of the hand
A Saudi research team has developed a ‘magnetic skin’ that can open a door or control a switch remotely with ...
How synthetic biology will allow us to redesign humans ‘from the ground up’
Just as physics and chemistry have given humans power over the world of the inanimate, biology is giving us the ...
4 keys to the future of synthetic genomics, including the ability to ‘construct entire chromosomes’
We are already living in a synthetic biology world. Within that huge world is an enormous variety of ideas and ...
Podcast: Can we ‘outsmart’ cancer with synthetic biology? Dr. Tim Lu talks customized disease treatments
On this episode of Biotech Facts and Fallacies, Tim Lu talks to Cameron English about Senti's progress toward "outsmarting complex ...
Create a fetus without an egg or sperm? Researchers have done it with mice
Reproduction used to be a simple thing: two parents, one egg, one sperm, one embryo, one baby. But on [October ...
4 innovations—including stronger gene-editing skills—that would allow us to rewrite genomes from the ground up
The ability to read genomes has transformed our understanding of biology. Being able to write them would give us unprecedented ...
For synthetic biology to reach its potential, building new chromosomes from scratch must become commonplace—and we may be getting close
Many of the needed technological breakthroughs can be achieved in the next several years ...
‘Drink like there is tomorrow’: Inside the quest to prevent hangovers with a GMO probiotic
Engineered probiotics and other microbes provide amazing opportunities ...
Are undiscovered antibiotics ‘silently waiting’ in our own bodies? Researchers scour microbiome for helpful genes
[A] study led by Dr. Mohamed Donia from Princeton University pushed the dark microbiome world into the light by targeting the ...
Viewpoint: Don’t expect synthetic biology to reverse climate change. But it could help, if we use it correctly.
There are several ways in which synthetic biology may have a positive contribution to our carbon footprint ...
Replacing the ‘magic mushroom’: Engineered bacteria more efficient at producing hallucinogenic compound psilocybin
Psilocybin mushrooms, popularly known as magic mushrooms, are famous as psychedelic purveyors of trippy epiphanies and cathartic giggle fits. But ...
‘Synthetic biology doesn’t have to be scary’: It could offer us new medicines, biofuels and everything in between
Though hacking organisms and rearranging genomes may sound scary, there is definitely a Light Side to this narrative (a balance, ...
Future of silk could give us wearable sensors, smart fabrics and ‘rubber’ as strong as steel
Tucked away near a freight elevator along the clinical corridors of an upper floor is a solid black door, plain ...
‘Next industrial revolution’: How synthetic biology will transform manufacturing and improve sustainability
To create sustainable cities, we need to use synthetic biology ...
Robots gain ‘sense of tactile touch’ through light-based nervous system
This month, a team led by Dr. Rob Shepard at Cornell University [gave robots an artificial nervous system], with a seriously ...
