Welcome to the World of Synthetic Biology.


Synthetic biology is genetic engineering done with digital tools. It is a fast-growing field of science and engineering poised to play a significant role in society.
Monthly archive March, 2012
Time to write human genomes

Time to write human genomes

In 1990, scientists launched one of  the largest international collaborations in life science, an effort to sequence the human genome.  This work inspired a new generation of genetic researchers and led to countless breakthroughs in new technologies, informatics, and medicine.  I was one of the researchers who had their careers launched by this effort. Now,...
DNA meets DNS at SU/Fox Hollywood Program

DNA meets DNS at SU/Fox Hollywood Program

Last week, at the Singularity University Hollywood Executive Program held at Fox Studios, I had the privilege of sharing some of my thoughts about synthetic biology to an all-star crowd.  I was the bridge between a fanciful Ray Kurzweil, who shared his thoughts on the technological singularity, and the matter-of-fact Craig Venter, who discussed the...
Redesigning People: How far will you go?

Redesigning People: How far will you go?

My friend David Ewing Duncan recently published an fascinating piece in the Atlantic.com online site examining what’s ahead in medical technologies.  What’s clear is that medtech and biotech are moving beyond the traditional boundaries of dire medical need and into the realm of human enhancement.  There’s a fine line between exoskeletons to help a paralyzed...
BGI a DNA Sequencing Powerhouse

BGI a DNA Sequencing Powerhouse

BGI claims to have more DNA sequencing capacity than the entire US.  Science magazine had a fascinating profile on the rise of BGI to this prominent position in high throughput science.  A must read for bio-geeks.