Collaborate Disseminate
It may sound like the start of a Frankenstein story, but scientists from New York University (NYU) and the University of Chicago have developed artificial cells made of non-biological matter that mimic the basic functions of living ones.Continue Readin… Continue reading Artificial cells created that imitate basic functions of living cells
When a child receives a replacement heart valve, the device doesn’t grow along with them. This means it will have to be surgically replaced, multiple times. Such may not be the case, however, with a new valve that’s currently in development.Continue Re… Continue reading “Growing” heart valve implant would never have to be replaced
An Israel-based startup is the latest looking to produce milk without a cow or any other even-toed ungulate. Co-founded by Professor Tamir Tuller of Tel Aviv University, Imagindairy is looking at ways to use bioengineered yeast cells to produce milk pr… Continue reading Imagindairy plans to cut out the cow and make milk from yeast
A Stanford University team led by associate professor of chemical engineering Elizabeth Sattely is developing genetically engineered plants that can better absorb iron from the soil. By making it easier to ingest the trace mineral, it may be … Continue reading Engineering plants for better root microbiomes would unlock land for staple crops
While it isn’t quite universal, a lot of people enjoy a glass of wine now and again. But the world faced a crisis in the 1800s that almost destroyed some of the world’s great wines. Science — or some might say hacking — saved the day, though even though it …read more
Continue reading Biological Hacking in the 19th Century or How the World Almost Lost Wine
Will bioengineering become the hot new teen trend? Continue reading This Teen Translated a Bible Verse Into DNA and Injected It Into Himself
We think of hacking as bending technology to our will. But some systems are biological, and we’re also starting to see more hacking in that area. This should excite science fiction fans used to with reading about cultures that work with biological tech, so maybe we’ll get there in the real world too. Hacking farm crops and animals goes back centuries, although we are definitely getting better at it. A case in point: scientists have found a way to make photosynthesis better and this should lead to more productive crops.
We learned in school that plants use carbon dioxide and …read more
A cautionary tale for messing with the environment. Continue reading Half-Assed Solar Geoengineering Is Worse Than Climate Change Itself
Few people outside the field know just how big bioscience can get. The public tends to think of fields like physics and astronomy, with their huge particle accelerators and massive telescopes, as the natural expressions of big science. But for decades, biology has been getting bigger, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. Specialized labs built around the automation equipment that enables modern pharmaceutical research would dazzle even the most jaded CERN physicist, with fleets of robot arms moving labware around in an attempt to find the Next Big Drug.
I’ve written before on big biology and how to get more visibility …read more
Continue reading Go Small, Get Big: The Hack that Revolutionized Bioscience
Synthetic biology meets smart manufacturing. Continue reading ‘Urban Biomining’ Could Be Used to Print Electronics on Earth and Beyond