AIPMT 2014 : Biology - Q180 Career Point Institute - Kota Video Solutions for AIPMT 2014 [Subject : Biology] by Expert Faculty. By: careerpoint kota … Continue reading →

MTU Bioathlon tests high schoolers' biology knowledge Sixteen high schools each sent a team of four students to take part in the 25th annual Bioathlon at Michigan Tech earlier today. The students rotated between four different competitions throughout... By: ABC 10 UP … Continue reading →

Illustration by Thomas Porostocky A Canadian futurist named Andrew Hessel has an unorthodox idea about how to cure breast cancer. He asks: what if volunteer researchers, working cooperatively from their garages and bedrooms, could rival the efforts of multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical companies? His crowd-funded venture, the Pink Army Cooperative, is trying to do just that by tapping into open-source tools springing from synthetic biology an emerging field that designs biological products using engineering principles and a modular approach. Since the cooperative launched in 2009, nearly 600 people have invested in it. The cost to join? A mere US$20. This radical idea faces considerable hurdles but even so, it has attracted plenty of attention from industry groups and the media. The cooperative, launched by Hessel and two co-founders, hopes to start cell-culture studies this year and is considering a therapeutic trial in dogs. Currently based at the software-design firm Autodesk in San Francisco, California, Hessel represents an increasingly impatient and outspoken faction of synthetic biology that believes that the patent-heavy intellectual-property model of biotechnology is hopelessly broken. His plan relies instead on freely available software and biological parts that could be combined in innovative ways to create individualized cancer treatments without the … Continue reading →

Illustration by Thomas Porostocky Until just a short time ago, the boundaries of biology were set by nature. But those limits are receding. In the past decade, the field of synthetic biology has shattered the idea that living cells must stick to the biomolecular widgets that have evolved naturally. Synthetic biology a more complex form of genetic engineering allows researchers to assemble molecular gears on an entirely new scale. From such tools, biological freedom has emerged; even the rule that DNA's alphabet consists of just four letters has been thrown out of the window. In this special issue, Nature surveys the messy landscape of synthetic biology and the various scientific tribes that are pushing it forward. Although the field is young, it is already divided into factions that foresee different futures. A News Feature on page 152 investigates the schism between those who advocate free-for-all tools, such as open-source repositories, and the groups that seek to protect the fruits of research using legal instruments such as patents (see also Editorial, page 133). Volker ter Meulen follows that theme on page 135, highlighting the threat of excessive regulation in the field. On page 155, experts diagnose the discipline's biggest challenges and … Continue reading →

The creation of an artificial yeast chromosome shows that synthetic biology is getting closer to what most scientists want: to be able to deliver benefits to society. The field has already found cheaper ways to produce medicines, and is making progress in applications from water purification to materials design. The topic is, however, controversial, and that is jeopardizing its promise. Environmental groups argue that it poses risks to health and the environment and have called for a global moratorium. We have been here before: exaggerated fears and uncritical acceptance of claims of the risks of genetic modification led to excessively cautious regulation and a block on innovation that not only slowed the development of new products, but also deterred basic science. The debate over synthetic biology is now entering a critical phase. The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) the global framework that governs the protection of biodiversity is currently exploring possible restrictions and will clarify its position at meetings next month and in October. But given the precedent of how the issue of genetically modified crops was handled, many scientists are worried that some policy-makers will take unsubstantiated concerns of environmental groups at face … Continue reading →

Joining a biology honors society at Dalton State College didnt come without some apprehension for Breann Campbell, she said. I went into it thinking this was possibly just something to build my resume, the junior biology major said. I was nervous and I really didnt know what to expect. Now Campbell is president of Beta Chi Nu, the colleges chapter of the Tri-Beta National Biological Honor Society. I didnt know I was going to get as involved as Ive become, she said, smiling. Its really the thing that has kind of opened me up. As much as Campbell says shes grown as a person since joining the chapter, she said the college has grown even more, most notably with the addition of the Shelby and Willena Peeples Hall. The 58,000-square-foot, $15 million building on the Dalton State campus was the focus of a Wednesday afternoon ribbon cutting ceremony. Doors officially opened to three floors of classrooms and chemistry and biology laboratories that will be in full swing for summer classes. The couple were honored through the naming of the building because of their philanthropy, college officials said, as well as their commitment to the college, including the largest gift from … Continue reading →