• ask a biogeek

    iGEM, or How to Build a Biological Organism in a Single Summer

    The International Genetically Engineered Machine competition brings undergraduates from around the world to MIT's campus to share the results of a summer's worth of synthetic biology research. Each team tries to create the best synthetic organism. Here you can see the iGEM participants (photo courtesy of David Appleyard and iGEM). I'm one of the folks in black up in front. (No, the other one.) Find out what these students cooked up over the summer, and who won. More »

    Feature

    9:00 AM on Thu Nov 20 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    1,167 views, 6 comments

    Most discussed Git Em SteveDave loves this guy->★: Heard about this on NPR Science Friday. Awesome stuff. more »

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    Three Horror Movies That Even a Scientist Could Love

    As a scientist I have mixed feelings about SF-oriented horror, which tends to show my lab coat-wearing brethren as myopic, obsessive, morally challenged individuals or as humorless skeptics. When Fringe needed a scientist for its team of white hats, the best they could come up with was a former, vaguely repentant mad scientist. Kind of unfair, considering how many plot ideas they've stolen from our journals. But there are a few bio-inspired scary movies out there that I would recommend. More »

    Feature

    9:00 AM on Thu Nov 6 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    6,902 views, 27 comments

    Most discussed PVIII: I really liked Cube too... more »

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    Where Are My Medical Nanobots?

    Reader Wendy asks: When will nanobots clean out my arteries? While medical molecular machines are not likely to appear in the clinic soon, there's a decent amount of research going into the development of nanoscale robotics, and not only for therapeutic use. One could easily imagine these widgets appearing in diagnostic assays and nano-scale manufacturing. Before we can hope to command tiny robots to crawl or swim to a damaged or stenotic artery to effect repairs, we first need to build tiny robots capable of crawling or swimming. More »

    Feature

    9:00 AM on Thu Oct 23 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    1,889 views, 15 comments

    Most discussed Log1c: Well because building regular nanobots is nigh on impossible, making them do highly complex tasks in the human body with more »

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    What's the Future of Cancer Diagnosis?

    I talked about the importance of early cancer diagnosis in a previous post, and reader Ian wrote back to ask for more detail. Early detection can be life-saving, but accuracy in these tests is also a serious problem - a test that misses existing cancers is obviously bad, but one that detects cancers that aren't there or suggests a future cancer that will never develop can expose patients to unnecessary procedures, some of them invasive. I'm not knocking cancer screening — just noting that, for a given test, the potential for early detection is not the whole story. Early unambiguous detection is the goal. Let's take a look at a few of the methods we can apply to improve cancer diagnosis. More »

    Feature

    9:00 AM on Thu Oct 9 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    1,268 views, 7 comments

    Most discussed AmishJohn: Cue Gattica concerns in 3... 2.... more »

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    Will I Evolve Into a Being of Pure Energy?

    Welcome back to Ask a Biogeek, a column where biology researcher Terry Johnson answers questions about biology — no matter how weird. Back when I discussed our unlikeliest futures as a species, one commenter added to the list of improbabilities our eventual transcendence into a non-corporeal form. That's hardly the only evolutionary myth propagated by science fiction. Misunderstandings of basic evolutionary theory are often so egregious they make "hearing explosions in space" seem mild in comparison. Warning: In discussing a few of the worst and most common offenses against evolutionary common sense, I'm going to spoil the hell out of a lot of old science fiction. More »

    Feature

    9:00 AM on Thu Sep 18 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    7,151 views, 48 comments

    Most discussed coreymaley: @CdnVapour150C: I mostly agree. "Natural" selection--and really the whole argument--is a non sequitur when it comes to humans. We've artificially selected more »

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    Where Is My Cure for Cancer?

    Welcome back to Ask a Biogeek, a column where you ask biology researcher Terry Johnson any question you want — no matter how weird. Reader Charlie writes:
    How about an article on the current cutting edge cancer research/treatments? Is there anything out there that is promising? Will there be a cure in our lifetimes?
    More »

    Feature

    9:00 AM on Thu Sep 4 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    4,507 views, 21 comments

    Most discussed bioball: I am going to throw in my vote for immunotherapy-based treatments. The "troops" are already in place, they are able more »

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    What Are the Unlikeliest Futures for the Human Species?

    Welcome to Ask a Biogeek, a column where you ask UC Berkeley researcher Terry Johnson any question you want — no matter how weird. Reader Matthew asks:
    This is an odd question, but is there anything we're certain isn't coming? Most of my friends are all starry-eyed optimistic sci-fi readers, and they continually bombard me with what will be the "future of the human species" . . . from "meat vats" for growing cruelty free meat to clone armies. Anyway, is there anything that is solidly stymied at this point? Any futurist direction we know is blocked?
    More »

    Feature

    9:00 AM on Thu Aug 21 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    14,662 views, 59 comments

    Latest by the_wiggle: @bakana: concept explored in Atwood's Native Tongue set. one alien was too alien, the assigned infant destroyed itself trying more »

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    Son Of "Where Are My Cybernetic Implants?"

    Welcome to Ask a Biogeek, a column where you ask UC Berkeley researcher Terry Johnson any question you want — no matter how weird. There seems to be a strong correlation between my posting an article on a subject, and my RSS feeds filling up with exciting new research, which I then wish I'd been able to include. The usual post-article deluge of goodness, combined with the poster for a Neuromancer movie practically forced me to revisit the burning question: Where are my cybernetic implants? More »

    Feature

    9:00 AM on Thu Aug 7 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    2,917 views, 25 comments

    Latest by corpore-metal: @Grey_Area: Yep pretty much. Although we could argue over borderline cases like below. @Dunny0, Team T/A: I'd say Lasik is neither. more »

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    Where Is My Hypospray?

    Welcome to Ask a Biogeek, a column where you ask UC Berkeley researcher Terry Johnson any question you want — no matter how weird.
    Reader Mairi proxies the following question: My mom wants to know when we're going to get needle-less, painless injections.
    While I personally covet the medical tricorder, I would almost prefer that my doctor have a hypospray - Starfleet's painless, needle-free injection system. The concept of a high-pressure alternative to a syringe dates back to The Shadow's radio show, and medical devices that function accordingly exist today. These, however, are not the only potential alternatives to a painful jab. More »

    Feature

    9:00 AM on Thu Jul 17 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    4,502 views, 25 comments

    Latest by the_wiggle: that freaky looking spray gun looks way too much like the guns used at my kindergarten for polio vax. more »

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    Where Is My Silicon-Based Life?

    Welcome back to Ask a Biogeek, a biweekly column where UC Berkeley biology researcher Terry Johnson answers your questions, no matter how weird. Reader Mike asks:
    Can you speculate on what a silicon based lifeform might look like? What would an "organic chemistry" look like for silicon, instead of carbon?
    More »

    Feature

    9:00 AM on Thu Jul 3 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    6,508 views, 28 comments

    Latest by Terry Johnson: @MarcosR: With a little luck, Moore's Law will find a loophole or three that cuts down on the juice. more »

  • Spore

    Can a Video Game Teach Evolution?

    Last week Electronic Arts was kind enough to invite me to a demonstration of Spore's creature creator. A few days ago, we told you about Spore, a video game that challenges you to guide a single cell on the bottom of the evolutionary ladder out of the ocean and into civilization. (Here you can see my creature, Chlorophyta complexus chainsawus - AKA the Chlororaptor.) It's not easy for a video game to teach the principles of evolution. Evolutionary games would necessarily be limited to pressing start and watching what happens as mutation and selection occur, without intervention from the player. Spore strikes a good balance between scientific fact and playability. More »

    Feature

    9:00 AM on Thu Jun 19 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    7,813 views, 53 comments

    Latest by corpore-metal: @Carlinfanboy: Who says there has to be start? Why can't the universe be eternal and infinite? And if there is more »

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    Where Are My Bioengineered Ecologies?

    It's another installment of Ask a Biogeek, a column where UC Berkeley biology researcher Terry Johnson answers all your questions — especially the weird ones.

    Reader Daniel wonders:
    As a biologist who studies whole organisms and populations, I find that more and more of biology (in terms of funding, positions and emphasis) is going to the sub-organismal level. We now have lots of cell biologists, geneticists, neurologists, biochemists, biomechanics, bioengineers and so on, but not a lot of behaviorists, population ecologists, biodemographers and others who study the emergent properties that arise at the higher levels of organization. What role, if any, do you foresee for understanding of these higher level biological phenomena in the future sci-fi-ish stuff?
    I believe we're rapidly reaching the point where scientists will be both ready and able to consider artificially-induced emergent biological properties — in other words, terraforming. Let me take you on a tour of today's state-of-the-art in this emerging field. More »

    Feature

    9:00 AM on Thu Jun 5 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    2,882 views, 28 comments

    Latest by Terry Johnson: @corpore-metal: For a planet with a reasonable atmosphere, it might be easier to change us than the planet. For something more »

  • cyberarm10.jpg ask a biogeek

    Where Are My Cybernetic Implants?

    A reader who would like to remain anonymous asks:
    As a disabled person whose body is basically falling apart (details too gross to go into), I've been wondering for a long time when I can get my cyborg transformation underway. What's the status of materials that are compatible with being implanted in the body?
    First of all, Anonymous, my best wishes. I hope that the next advance coming 'round the bend is a comfort to you. There are two fundamental approaches to organ-level repair: the biological approach, which includes transplants and tissue engineered organs, or what we'll call the cybernetic approach, which creates replacements out of artificial materials capable of appropriately interacting with the body. Keeping this in mind, let's take a look at the cutting edge of human-machine interfaces. More »

    Feature

    9:00 AM on Thu May 22 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    7,084 views, 35 comments

    Latest by Terry Johnson: @cyr3n: Back when I was in training, we tried all sorts of loopy things to achieve the proper stretch - more »

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    Where Is My Uterine Replicator (AKA Artificial Womb)?

    Reader Karen asks:
    One of my favourite sci-fi conceits in the Vorkosigan works of Lois McMaster Bujold is the uterine replicator. Sticking a fetus in a regulated jar until it's come full term and I can get my new baby boy, girl or hermaphrodite without all the vomiting, constant peeing, strenuous pushing, pooping on the operating table, and possible endangerment to life, reproductive organs and blood sugar levels sounds like fucking bliss. When can you get that to me?
    Given the risk - and many months of what can charitably be termed "inconvenience" - what are the alternatives to signing up for nine months of incubator duty? Let's find out. More »

    Feature

    9:00 AM on Thu May 8 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    2,878 views, 32 comments

    Latest by Y Duras: @ndgmtlcd: Actually, in the Bujold books, the placenta is included in the uterine replicator. more »

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    Where Is My Medical Tricorder?

    Reader Juan asks:
    If not the medical tricorder from Star Trek, when could we possibly see diagnostic equipment capable of scanning for infections, viruses or impending heart attacks, attached to wrist watches or other portable devices?
    Nothing against the phaser, but for many of us the most coveted piece of away team equipment is the tricorder, the medical version of which can perform a complex examination in a single whistling pass over a patient. If you've ever tried to lie perfectly still in a thumping MRI machine or sat in a doctor's office waiting for lab results, you've longed for faster, more portable diagnostic devices. More »

    Feature

    9:00 AM on Thu Apr 17 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    2,049 views, 18 comments

    Latest by the_wiggle: @Gyrus: want! also, self cleaning clothes & home; plus flying car ;) more »

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    Forget the Jetpack - Where Are My Replacement Organs?

    Welcome to Ask a Biogeek, a column about cutting-edge biology by UC Berkeley researcher Terry Johnson. Knowing which organs you can live without is all well and good, but wouldn't you rather have replacement organs? Tissue engineers already have some pretty good ones if you happen to lose your skin or severely damage your bones. And there are some other organs we're cooking up for you too, as long as you can hold out for a few more years. More »

    Feature

    9:45 AM on Thu Apr 3 2008
    By Terry Johnson
    2,218 views, 14 comments

    Latest by Terry Johnson: Garrison: They are working on tissue engineered pancreas which are basically little sacks of insulin-producing cells. While getting cells to more »