Category: Issues
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Companies Quietly Apply Biofuel Tools to Household Products
This article originally appeared in the New York Times. By STEPHANIE STROM MAY 30, 2014 Consumer products containing ingredients made using an advanced form of engineering known as synthetic biology are beginning to show up more often on grocery and department store shelves. A liquid laundry detergent made by Ecover, a Belgian company that makes […]
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Synthetic Biology Still in Uncharted Waters of Public Opinion
Reposted from Synthetic Biology Project The Synthetic Biology Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is releasing the results of a new set of focus groups, which find continued low awareness of synthetic biology among the general public. The focus group results support the findings of a quantitative national poll conducted by Hart […]
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Don’t shut the door on the synthetic biology debate
A panel of world scientists want to talk to us about synthetic biology. But it’s not clear what we’re allowed to discuss by Jack Stilgoe Originally published by the Guardian on May 8, 2014. The Inter-Academy Panel, a network of the world’s science academies including our own Royal Society, today issued a statement on synthetic […]
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Deal brings ‘humanized’ pig organs for transplant a step closer to reality
JULIE STEENHUYSEN This was originally published by Reuters News Service on May 6, 2014. Genome pioneer J. Craig Venter is teaming up with a unit of United Therapeutics Corp. to develop pig lungs that have been genetically altered to be compatible with humans, a feat that, if successful, could address the urgent need for transplant […]
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Scientists Add Letters to DNA’s Alphabet, Raising Hope and Fear
By ANDREW POLLACK Originally posted by the New York Times on May 7, 2014. Scientists reported Wednesday that they had taken a significant step toward altering the fundamental alphabet of life — creating for the first time an organism with DNA containing artificial genetic code. The accomplishment might eventually lead to organisms that can make […]
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Synthetic Biology: Rebranding Extreme Genetic Engineering
By Jaydee Hanson, Senior Policy Analyst, Centre for Food Safety This article is reposted from the Centre for Food Safety web site. Some years ago, bread companies got the word that customers wanted more fiber in their bread. Instead of making more of their bread with whole grains, a few companies actually put in wood […]
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Video: GMOs 2.0: Synthetic Biology, Farmers and Food
Goldman Theater, Brower Center, Berkeley Synthetic biology, “extreme genetic engineering,” is about to radically change our food system. What is “synbio” and what are the real costs to agriculture, the environment, and the livelihoods of farmers around the world? SPEAKERS: Neth Daño, ETC Group, Philippines Alejandrino García Castaño, Vanilla Farmer, Mexico John Roulac, Nutiva, Richmond, […]
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Video: How Private is your DNA? with Troy Duster, Jeremy Gruber & Milton Reynolds
Scientists are now able to map our bodies’ DNA with increasing ease and decreasing costs. But what is being done with this information and for whose benefit? How much control do we have over our genetic information and what can we do to protect our privacy? Recorded at the Brower Center Theater 2150 Allston Way […]
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Hacking Your DNA – By David Ewing Duncan /Newsweek
“Hacking Your DNA” Reposted from Newsweek Imagine a future when Big Data has access not only to your shopping habits, but also to your DNA and other deeply personal data collected about our bodies and behavior—and about the inner workings of our proteins and cells. What will the government and others do with that data? […]
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Should Bosses Have Access to Workers’ Genetic-Test Results? / WSJ
Reposted from the Wall Street Journal U.S. Government Files First Cases Under Statute Meant to Protect Workers By Melanie Trottman Genetic testing is becoming a cornerstone of modern medicine—used to measure the likelihood of developing diseases from cancer to mental illness. Employers increasingly are running up against a federal law that governs how genetic information […]