Achieving a milestone in the fight against malaria, scientists at Amyris Biotechnologies have produced 25 g/L of amorphadiene, a precursor of the antimalarial agent artemisinin, by using synthetic biology and E. coli fermentations…
When NASA began thinking about missions to look for life beyond Earth, it realized it had a problem: how to recognize life if it were found…
New research tools will bring a boom in biotechnology that will unlock the enormous potential of using synthetic life to cure disease and develop environmentally friendly fuels, scientists say…
Promising everything from algae-derived petroleum to personalized medicine to drought-resistant crops, synthetic biology - or synbio - is rapidly sprouting disruptive new technologies in energy, healthcare, specialty chemicals, and agriculture…
BIOTECHNOLOGY:THE TIME is coming when if a new drug, cheap fuels or novel materials are needed, synthetic biology will deliver them. However, with the possibility of building “artificial” organisms comes the risk of unintentional harm should they escape…
Recent action in Congress to reauthorize the U.S. federal nanotechnology research program offers the chance to address the social and ethical issues concerning the emerging scientific field, experts say. A newly released report emphasizes ways in which these topics intersect with governmental functions and responsibilities.
If mankind creates a microbial life form are we playing God? And, if we are, is that wrong?...
An ugly, toxic, tough-skinned weed has made a bit of a splash in recent weeks as a renewable energy source that wields a unique distinction: a decent shot at commercial viability…
Some life scientists are changing the way they do business because of security concerns, according to a U.S. survey released this week…
Solazyme, Inc., a renewable oil production company and leading algal synthetic biology company, will feature a Jeep Liverty fueled by the world’s first algal-based renewable diesel, SoladieselRD™, at CALSTART Target 2030…
It’s green, slimy and one of the simplest organisms on the planet, but it could hold the key to the impending global fuel crisis…
What would our forebears have made of test-tube basies, microwave ovens, organ transplants, CCTV and iPhones?...
Katherine Aull’s laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, lacks a few mod cons…
