Geneticist Adam Rutherford: by ‘controlling living systems,’ synthetic biology will change the world By Katie Drummond "As first books go, Dr. Adam Rutherford probably couldn’t have chosen a vaster topic: an investigation into both the origins of life itself, and the incredible potential of its man-made future. In Creation: How Science is Reinventing Itself, Rutherford offers a historical account of biology’s biggest breakthroughs, before introducing readers to what he perceives as the next one on that list: synthetic biology, loosely defined as the radical engineering of new or novel life forms. Fortunately for readers, Rutherford is uniquely suited to write such a tome. A geneticist by training, Rutherford contributes regular science columns to The Guardian and recently ended an 11-year stint as an editor at Nature to host a new, weekly BBC show, Inside Science. We caught up with Rutherford, who resides in the UK, to talk about scientists playing God, the Supreme Court’s gene patent ruling… and his love affair with monochromatic clothing. Your new book, Creation, explores synthetic biology — which you say could have a similar impact on society to the Industrial Revolution or the advent of the internet. Why is synthetic biology so important, and how do you see it transforming our lives? The first thing to do is to describe what synthetic biology is, because definitions can differ. I’m hesitant to pin labels, but the primary aim of synthetic biology — and the easiest way to think about it — is the application of engineering techniques to biology, and the application of those techniques to real-world problems. Things like climate change, food production, fuel production, and even space travel...." bit.ly/103FaRo
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:51:48 +0000
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