bioengineering
Scientists Have Figured Out How to Make Sugar into Narcotics
There’s a new sort of drug cave in town and it has a hell of a lot more in common with an Au Bon Pain than some back alley in Shanghai.
How Bioengineered Bacteria Could Give Robots a Living Brain
Researchers are applying mathematical models in a virtual environment to test out a bacteria-powered cyborg prototype.
This Infant Human Heart Was Grown From Stem Cells
Lab-grown heart microchambers could eliminate the need for some types of animal testing.
Five Ways Scientists Want to Hack Plants to Improve Photosynthesis
The amount of land dedicated to farming is shrinking, the world's crop productivity is stagnating, and the population is still growing. What are we going to do about the looming agricultural crisis?
This Rat Limb Was Grown in the Lab
Researchers stripped cells from a rat's arm, then used it as a base to grow new ones.
DIY Morphine: Bioengineered Yeast Could Be Used to Brew Opiates
But researchers are calling for regulations.
Seven Projects Pushing the Boundaries of Biology
For millennia, humans have altered our planet by clearing land for cities and agriculture, hunting animals into extinction, and introducing invasive species into vulnerable ecosystems. What's our next trick going to be?
We Need a Tiny, Retina-Sized Miracle to Make the First Smart Contact Lens
Here's what it would take to actually put a computer in a contact lens.
The Hail Mary Plan to Stop Rhino Poaching By Growing Horns in a Lab
A new source of rhino horn could stop the black market—or simply drive prices for 'wild' horns even higher.
NASA Is Working on Creating Bioengineered Drones Made of Mushrooms and Bacteria
Bacteria can be genetically engineered to become onboard sensors.
Bioengineered Opiates Don't Require Poppy Plants
Bioengineered yeast is poised to be the world's new supplier.
Biohackers Are Engineering Yeast to Make THC
The THC will be delivered via a patch, a topical cream, or in vaporizer or e-cigarette form.