In the same week that Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) gathered co-sponsors for a resolution that would formally introduce the Green New Deal into the U.S. House of Representatives, SynBioBeta hosted its...
Author - Ian Haydon
Going viral: Synthetic biology and the Green New Deal
It is rare for a piece of proposed legislation to go viral, but that is exactly what is happening with the Green New Deal. What is it? One version being championed by freshman New York Representative and progressive...
New cell-free expression system runs on linear DNA
Before synthetic biology can retool the economy, save the planet, or help put people on Mars, it’s going to have to become significantly easier to use. Take computers. If you wanted to do anything useful with a computer...
Can we go carbon negative?
For centuries, humans rummaged around. We built homes with gathered wood. We stretched animal skins. The Earth provided ready-made building blocks — for front doors, and for shoes — and our material needs were met...
Highlights of SynBioBeta 2018 Day 3, Twist $86.3M IPO, Pivot Bio’s $70M, Genomatica’s $90M
John Cumbers took the stage to welcome our community and announce that Twist Bioscience filed for a $86.3M IPO! He also mentioned that the Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded jointly to three scientists whose work...
Highlights of SynBioBeta Day 2: Neobiological revolution, bio is not another app, living medicines, and biosecurity
What a jam-packed second day today! We kicked things off with an energizing fireside chat on the coming together of neuroscience and synthetic biology – and the neobiological revolution we’ve all been witnessing in real...
Highlights of Day 1 of SynBioBeta 2018: Mushroom stage, The homebrew computer club meets DIYBio, Engineering Biology Awards
Enjoying Synthetic Biology Week? Share your stories with #synbiobeta2018 The conference began with a discussion between P&G Director Lee Ellen Drechsler and Ecovative CEO Eben Bayer, moderated by D.A. Wallach of...
Towards data-driven biotechnology
Want to know whether a company is fit for the future? Measure what it does with bytes, not barrels. Data centers are the new oil refineries, argues The Economist. Where black sludge and steam once marked the beating...
Are programmable plants the future of farming?
After publishing On The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin turned his formidable attention away from grand theories of evolution and towards another biological mystery: the subtle behavior of plants. At his home in...
Synthetic Biologists Can Learn from Zuckerberg’s Mistakes
“We didn’t take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake.” Before his grilling on Capitol Hill this week, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg issued an apology. In a...
