synthetic biology
A Startup Is Pushing the Boundaries of Biology with Synthetic DNA
Using E. coli strains, research firm Synthorx has successfully synthesized proteins that don’t exist in nature.
This Infant Human Heart Was Grown From Stem Cells
Lab-grown heart microchambers could eliminate the need for some types of animal testing.
The Military Is Working on Making Humans as Disease-Resistant as Rats
"Rats host pathogens and they survive just fine—isn't that a great opportunity for us?"
DARPA: We Are Engineering the Organisms That Will Terraform Mars
The Pentagon is working on technology that will allow it to engineer a new organism within a day of it being found in the wild.
We Might Create Alien Life in a Lab Before We Find It in Space
“We could make something that has a different operating system than life today,” says synthetic biologist Lynn J Rothschild.
These Artificial Muscles Are Made of Onion Cells
Onion cells can expand and contract, which makes them good for muscles.
This Biohacker BBQ Would Be Way Cooler With Less Red Tape
At a UK biohackathon this week, hackers complained about the strict European regulations on synthetic biology.
The Dragon and the Martian
When we have the power to create synthetic organisms, do we revive the demons of the dying Earth, or do we spawn new forms of life to seed a barren Mars?
Programmable Bioweapons Could Be the Nuclear Bombs of Future Wars
“I’ll wipe out your ability for your gene line to advance.”
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.
Submerge Yourself in a Strange Sea of Slit-Scanned Jellyfish
Interaction designer James Alliban experiments with jellyfish footage for openFrameworks experiment, 'NOVA.'
NASA Is Working on Creating Bioengineered Drones Made of Mushrooms and Bacteria
Bacteria can be genetically engineered to become onboard sensors.