Scientists have tried to produce glowing plants through synthetic biology. Its not easy. Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by iStock. So, apparently scientists are working to synthesize the genome of yeast? Is this, like, the first step toward better bread or something? Maybe! But in the short term, theyre doing it in the service of synthetic biology more generally. Its a discipline that brings together the insights and methodologies of computer science; engineering; and, of course, biology. It encompasses genetic engineering, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and molecular chemistry. But, in practice, it involves futzing about with the fundamental building blocks of life itself: reworking DNAsometimes even writing it from scratchand other molecular processes to engender new applications. And yes, if you believe its most ardent evangelists, it might help us set up shop on Mars, resurrect the woolly mammoth, and stop global warming. If we want to get really basic, the field (if thats even the right term for this diverse set of inquiries and methodologies) has two main goals at the moment. First and most prominently, scientists are working to build new life forms, assembling them from their fundamental chemical components. Second, they are trying to use biotechnology to produce substances … Continue reading →

The field of synthetic biology, or engineering new forms of life, is less than two decades old, but its pioneers are responsible for some of the most interesting projects coming out of labs today: inscribing lines of James Joyce onto a synthetic genome, reproducing the smell of a rose without actually needing a rose, and possibly bringing back the extinct woolly mammoth. So how did this field get started? Where do synthetic creatures belong on the family tree? And how does the language we use when we describe synthetic biology shape the field? The Verge spoke with Sophia Roosth, a historian of science at Harvard University who spent years studying the culture of synthetic biology for her new book, Synthetic: How Life is Made. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. The grand ideas of synthetic biology like bringing back the woolly mammoth seem very far away. But oftentimes I find that ideas that seem futuristic are already around us, like having a cochlear implant or an IUD technically can make you a cyborg. Are there any examples like this for synthetic biology? Right, a lot of people think of synthetic biology as something very futuristic. Thats common … Continue reading →

US-based venture capital fund Data Collective has announced that it is partnering with SynBioBeta to launch a new synthetic biology venture fund. Data Collective will join forces with SynBioBeta founder John Cumbers to launch the DCVC SynBioBeta fund, a pre-seed and seed VC fund to invest in synthetic biology startups. John Cumbers, an expert on the synthetic biology industry, will support the fund to make early-stage synthetic biology investments. Cumbers, originally from the UK, founded SynBioBeta in 2012, and since then it has grown to become the leading synthetic biology network. The SynBioBeta conference in London was kicked-off this morning, where Cumbers also announced his new partnership with DCVC:Im going to be the eyes and ears for DCVC for new and innovative things in synbio. Our Editor Evelyn is currently at SynBioBeta in London. Here are some pictures fromthe opening remarks. The synthetic biology industry, driven by advances in computational biology and related tool chains, now resembles the Silicon Valley semiconductor business right at its sharp takeoff in the 80s and 90s, said Matt Ocko, co-Managing Partner, DCVC. Synthetic biologyapplications range from the production of biologicals such as insulin or therapeutic antibodies, to the genetic engineering of microorganisms or plants … Continue reading →

Well-researched stories from around the web that bridge the gap between news and scholarship. Brought to you each Tuesday from the editors ofJSTOR Daily. The deadly fallout from Californias illegal grow sites (bioGraphic) by Julian Smith In Californias wild and beautiful forests, illegal marijuana growers use poisons capable of bringing down a lion to protect their crops from gnawing animals. Biologists are studying the results, which are causing sickness and death on a massivescale among the regions wildlife, and potentially contaminating the water supplies of downstream cities and towns. But investigating the grow sites is dangerous work. Changing our minds, with circuitry (Wired) Big-name Silicon Valley players want to integrate computers into the human brain, letting us upload and download thoughts, and augmenting our mental functions. But what have neuroscientists actually figured out about how to understand and alter our brains? Life lessons at school (The Atlantic) by Victoria Clayton Beyond reading, writing, and rithmetic, schools are trying new programs to help students stay organized, take responsibility for their work, and understand their own emotions. Studies suggest they have promise for achieving academic goals, and beyond. Understanding rape (Aeon) by Sandra Newman Do some men rape because they have extraordinarily … Continue reading →

We sat down with Christina Agapakis, Creative Director of Ginkgo Bioworks, who'll be speaking at our PSFK 2017 conference, to discuss positioning biotechnology as the evolution of industrial design In todays day and age, we swoon overthe latest sparkly high-tech gadgets so much so that we now want them to be conjoined to us like anotherlimb. Case in pointElon musk is taking it so far as to create a computer interlace for your brain, don a VR headset you can now watch shows in a virtual living room with your friends and press a button on your kicks to orderyour fave pepperoni slice.But what if you took your eyes away from your VR headsetor sneakers for just one moment and peered outside your very window? Perhaps youd see a dilapidated,graffiti-ridden building across the street that has been left to its own devicesfor 25 years, but mother nature has taken its hold, with vines clamberingup the outer walls and plants sprouting from the sidewalk cracks below. If you had go-go gadget x-ray vision, youd see something incredibly powerful within each plant: photosynthesis and regenerative powers.Thats right, if you thought the heroes of X-Men or Transformers had killer superpowers, think again. Biology … Continue reading →

Dr David McClymont discusses automated approaches to DNA assembly used at Imperial College London A snapshot from the video of Dr David McClymont from Labcyte Genomics Symposiums 2017 Based at Imperial College in London, SynbiCITE is the Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) for Synthetic Biology funded by the UK Research Councils, EPSRC and BBSRC, and Innovate UK. Dr David McClymont, Head of Automation at SynbiCITE, discussed automated synthetic biology approaches, at the Labcyte Genomics Symposium. SynbiCITE have taken the standard language and working methods of synthetic biology, combined these with engineering principles, and scaled this up using automation hardware and software to build a high-throughput, industrial-scale facility. This system has been applied to numerous applications including microbial metabolic pathway engineering, and most recently miniaturized, high-throughput cell-free synthetic biology. SynbiCITEs successful automated workflow adopts the BASIC synthetic bio assembly method (Storch, Marko, et al. "BASIC: a new biopart assembly standard for idempotent cloning provides accurate, single-tier DNA assembly for synthetic biology." ACS synthetic biology 4.7 (2015): 781-787), and the integration of Echo acoustic liquid-handling instrumentation. Dr McClymont has integrated these by creating the custom interfacing software AMOS, and, in doing so, produced an accelerated system that brings together the best engineering … Continue reading →