Self-regulation is a good first step — but synthetic-biology companies still need independent oversight.

Blocking patents are delaying advances in cancer medicine and food crops, says the Canada-based Innovation Partnership, a non-profit consultancy. The full benefits of synthetic biology and nanotechnology will not be realized without urgent reforms…

In a third-floor loft where programmers build Internet start-ups, Mackenzie Cowell is talking about the tools he and like-minded young colleagues are using to fuel what they hope will be the next big thing in biology...

Over fears that terrorists could order the genes needed to make a deadly virus, a group of "designer DNA" companies is stepping up security.

With the explosion of public interest in human genetics that surrounded the launch of the Human Genome Project, a new field of bioethics was born, and named "gen-ethics."…

SCOTTISH scientists have discovered a chink in the armour of bacteria, which could help win the battle against hospital superbugs and other debilitating conditions.

Barry Canton, a 28-year-old biological engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has posted raw scientific data, his thesis proposal, and original research ideas on an online website for all to see…

Scientists are advancing slowly toward one of the most audacious goals humans have ever set for themselves: creating artificial life…

Synthetic biology and microbial insights will soon allow scientists to custom-build bacteria capable of surviving on other planets, says extremophile expert John Baross.

Designer enzymes are big business as the need to produce viable biofuels grows - but can they offer a long-term alternative?

David Deamer, an artificial-life scientist at UC Santa Cruz, spoke with NEWSWEEK's Jeneen Interlandi about his research.

In the future there will be no more human beings. This is not something we should worry about…

Taking a significant step toward the creation of synthetic forms of life, researchers reported Thursday that they had manufactured the entire genome of a bacterium by stitching together its chemical components…