CQ Researcher examines the pros/cons to utilizing synthetic biology CQ ResearchersApril 2014 article,Synthetic Biology: Should Scientists Try to Create New Life Forms, delves into the benefits and hesitations of using synthetic biology to create new or improved medicines, fuels and other innovative products. The pro/con piece within the article showcases a debate between BIOs own Dr. Rina Singh, Senior Director, Industrial and Environmental and Jaydee Hanson, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Food Safety, and Policy Director, International Center for Technology Assessment. Both contributors had to address the question Should there be a moratorium on synthetic biotechnology? Dr. Rina Singh states that there does not need to be a moratorium on synthetic biotechnology: While the term synthetic biology is relatively new, the science is not. Synthetic biology is an evolution of biotechnology and has been safely used in the development of products that provide societal benefits. With a new wealth of genomic data, scientists have increased the speed, precision and predictability of bio-based products. The biotechnology industry has had a decades-long record of safety under the current regulatory regime The U.S. economy, our environment and human health all benefit from biotech and synthetic biology innovations, and we expect even more significant … Continue reading →

True or false? Women are more emotional than men. Boys are better than girls at math and science. "Many things that 'everyone knows' about human sex differences are not scientifically accurate," says professor Caitilyn Allen, a plant pathologist at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Yet, she adds, these ideas "affect individual life decisions and broader social policies. Getting the facts right leads to increased opportunities for everyone and improves the quality of science in general." Separating fact from fiction in experimental research is one of the goals behind a new postdoctoral program in feminist biology in the UW's department of gender and women's studies. It will also train early-career scientists to avoid such biases in their own research. The program is the first of its kind in the country. It is funded through a bequest from scientist and feminist science advocate Dr. Gertraude Wittig, who experienced gender biases firsthand when she earned a Ph.D. in biology in the 1950s. Professor Janet Hyde, director of the UW's Center for Research on Gender and Women, will oversee the program and serve as a mentor to each postdoctoral fellow. Hyde says that patriarchal attitudes in biology have not only excluded women from the field, but … Continue reading →