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Okay, so maybe not your next one, but in a few year's time? Maybe your storage will be writ across DNA itself. Researchers at Stanford have developed a method to store binary code on DNA. Dubbed the "recombinase addressable data (RAD) module," the method controls the synthesis and degradation of two proteins, integrase and excisionase. With RAD, a particular section of a microbe's DNA is tweaked to glow either red or green under ultraviolet light — and it can be switched back and forth at will. More »
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By the middle of this century, nearly two-thirds of the world's population will be living in cities. If we want their lives to be pleasant, and the resources they use to be sustainable, urban development is going to have to change radically. That's the thesis of architect Rachel Armstrong, who works with synthetic biology to create prototypes of "living cities" built using biological materials. She imagines a future where cities aren't built, but instead grown like plants or baked like bread. More »
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Last year saw the stunning announcement of synthetic bacteria. Now the next step has been taken, a move towards a synthetic organism that's markedly more complex — yeast. More »
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The future of industrial production doesn't depend on drilling for oil and mining minerals. It depends on biology. Scientists are transforming microbes and other life forms into tiny, specialized factories that extrude plastic, turn waste water into fuel, and even clean up radioactive waste. More »
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Ever wonder how we're going to create humans who can breathe underwater? Of course you do. Now a study published this week about how algae insinuate themselves into salamander embryos (and DNA) could provide the beginnings of an answer. More »
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Are you ready for the synthetic biology future? A recent synthetic biology conference described bacteria that could live on Mars, feel empathy, eliminate malaria from mosquitos and cure cancer. Oscillator's Christina Agapakis explains. More »
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Usually we hear about E. coli bacteria when there's an outbreak of food poisoning. But now a group of engineers have turned these disease-causing bugs into a "production platform" for antibiotics. More »
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A group of UK students have engineered a new bacteria they call BacillaFilla. It swarms into concrete cracks, then secretes a gluey mixture that hardens into concrete filler. But what if this bacteria escaped into the wild and started reproducing? More »
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Scientists have successfully created a small part of the DNA needed to build a mouse from scratch. It's just a step on on the long road to synthetic life, but in the short term their breakthrough could prevent genetic disease. More »
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I love this science fictional ad for real-life synthetic biology startup Ginkgo Bioworks. According to company founder Reshma Shetty, the company is looking to hire - so consider this a recruitment video! [via Ginkgo Bioworks] More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5648488&view=rss&microfeed=true Amino acids that can block ultraviolet light are commonly harvested from algae, and used in cosmetics like Helioguard 365. Now researchers at Harvard have discovered the genes responsible for producing these materials and, with a little gene tweaking, managed get E. coli bacteria to produce them too. Now that bacteria can produce the sunblock, can a new product be far behind? I can't wait for a friendly colony of bacteria to live on my skin, and prevent me from getting burned. More »
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Though science fiction often mangles scientific truths, it is nevertheless a genre that is highly influenced by the latest trends in scientific thought and research. Here are some of the scientific (and semi-scientific) ideas that have influenced SF the most. More »
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In what seems like a Cthulian moment of experimentation, scientists have fashioned a biotech "nose" by genetically engineering frog cells to behave like insect nose cells. And then they turned the hybrid cells into a control device for a robot. More »
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Genetically-modified canola has been breeding undetected in the American wilds for at least "several generations," say scientists. The escaped GM canola has already mutated into a never-before-seen strain, and now it may be modifying other plants too. More »
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Synthetic Aesthetics is a new program to bring synthetic biologists together with designers and artists. Apply now to get a grant that could help you become a better designer of living things. More »
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We're closer than ever to turning our bodies into computers. A study published this week in Science demonstrates how to turn DNA into a simple counter. That means your DNA could eventually be reprogrammed with a shut down command. More »
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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 »
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This week, scientists at Caltech released the first ever multi-input, "plug-and-play" synthetic RNA devices. You may have heard of Boolean logic gates in computer science, but now synthetic biologists are taking them one step further, creating organic computer programs that control the activity inside your cells. Maung Nyan Win and Christina D. Smolke have formed and tested in vivo one such system — and they say it's ready to work in mammals. More »
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You've got until midnight tonight to enter io9's mad science contest to build a new lifeform. Building new lifeforms is the science of the future and therefore you can never have too many garage laboratories and mad scientists devoted to it. That's why io9 is sponsoring a contest to find two of the best synthetic life forms you can design for us. You've had almost two months to build that lifeform, and now the contest deadline looms! You've got until tonight, Aug. 25, at midnight to hand in your contest entry. The winners in our two categories will get either an all-expenses-paid trip to the kickass Synthetic Biology Conference in Hong Kong this October, or $1000 and a chance to have their creature drawn by a cool comic book artist. Find out more below. More »
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io9 wants to encourage mad scientists in every field, but especially in the area of synthetic biology. That's because synthetic biologists are the people who are going to build new life forms, like ligers and unicorns and people with claws and glowing eyes. OK, they might build bacteria that can clean up oil spills and repair damaged kidneys too. The point is, building new lifeforms is the science of the future and therefore you can never have too many garage laboratories and mad scientists devoted to it. That's why io9 is sponsoring a contest to find two of the best synthetic life forms you can design for us. You've had almost two months to build that lifeform, and now the contest deadline looms! You've got until Monday, Aug. 25, at midnight to hand in your contest entry. All the details are below. The winners in our two categories will get either an all-expenses-paid trip to the kickass Synthetic Biology Conference in Hong Kong this October, or $1000 and a chance to have their creature drawn by a cool comic book artist. Find out more below. More »
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io9 wants to encourage mad scientists in every field, but especially in the area of synthetic biology. That's because synthetic biologists are the people who are going to build new life forms, like ligers and unicorns and people with claws and glowing eyes. OK, they might build bacteria that can clean up oil spills and repair damaged kidneys too. The point is, building new lifeforms is the science of the future and therefore you can never have too many garage laboratories and mad scientists devoted to it. That's why io9 is sponsoring a contest to find two of the best synthetic life forms you can design for us. The winners in our two categories will get either an all-expenses-paid trip to the kickass Synthetic Biology Conference in Hong Kong this October, or $1000 and a chance to have their creature drawn by a cool comic book artist. Find out more below. More »
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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. More »
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In a few years, your weekend hacking project will involve bits of DNA and a PCR machine instead of a soldering iron or glue. With the help of the Open Wetware Project, and the Registry of Standard Biological Parts Wiki, you too can become an amateur synthetic biologist. But this isn't about evil mad scientist stuff. People using these new open-source biohacking tools are trying create helpful life forms, like insulin-producing bacteria or drought-tolerant crops. Here's a quick introduction to the biohacking tools everybody will be using tomorrow. More »
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