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| bill gates synthetic biology: The Patentability of Synthetic Biology Inventions Ilaria de Lisa, 2020-09-29 This book addresses Synthetic Biology (SynBio), a new and promising biotechnology that has attracted much interest from both a scientific and a policy perspective. Yet, questions concerning the patentability of SynBio inventions have not been examined in detail so far; as a result, it remains unclear whether these inventions are patentable on the basis of current norms and case law. The book addresses this question, focusing especially on the subject matter’s eligibility and moral criteria. It provides an overview of the legislation and decisions applicable to SynBio patents and examines this new technology in view of the ongoing debate over the patentability of biotechnologies in general. The legal analysis is complemented by the practical examination of several patent applications submitted to the European and US patent offices (EPO and USPTO), and by an assessment of the patent issues that are likely to be raised by future SynBio developments. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Regulation of Synthetic Biology Alison McLennan, 2018-04-27 This book explores the interplay between regulation and emerging technologies in the context of synthetic biology, a developing field that promises great benefits, and has already yielded fuels and medicines made with designer micro-organisms. For all its promise, however, it also poses various risks. Investigating the distinctiveness of synthetic biology and the regulatory issues that arise, Alison McLennan questions whether synthetic biology can be regulated within existing structures or whether new mechanisms are needed. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Synthetic Biology Handbook Darren N. Nesbeth, 2016-04-06 The Synthetic Biology Handbook explains the major goals of the field of synthetic biology and presents the technical details of the latest advances made in achieving those goals. Offering a comprehensive overview of the current areas of focus in synthetic biology, this handbook:Explores the standardisation of classic molecular bioscience approaches |
| bill gates synthetic biology: STAYING HUMAN K. L. Stubblefield, 2023-11-16 Staying Human Within this writing we discuss America’s and particularly Black America’s slide into decadence, depravity, and despair and how this will lead to its subjugation to the coming tyranny of Artificial intelligence. If we look with an open mind we can see how technology has already led to the breaking down of morality and open rebellion against Godly principles that while not totally adhered to by this nation, has been a hedge against all out wickedness. Our attempt to at least guide our behavior with the precepts of holiness and godliness has allowed the American nation to receive blessings of wealth and freedom from the Most high. That is now changing and God is slowly removing his protection from our nation.. America's power and influence whether for good or evil was given to us by God. It is He who sets up nations, and it is He who brings about their fall. What is happening to the United States today has happened before with many other kingdoms. There is no new thing under the sun. Nor was there any respect of persons given from The Most High. This nation will and is currently feeling the pains of all the other nations that has fallen before it. And just like all the other kingdoms that fell such as Rome, Greece, Egypt, and Babylon , America's blind adherence to self promotion, and narcissistic hubris has blurred her vision of her plight. America is now a weak nation, a nation that is living on so called past greatness. Militarily America relies on enormous deficit spending on technology and advanced weaponry in order to maintain its power and influence worldwide. Yet when engaged in actual combat with weaker nations America still suffers a bloody nose and a black eye. Vietnam , Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, are modern examples of America's inability to win wars outright. These wars and excursions drain the coffers of this nation and force it into deficit spending in order to maintain the false illusion of wealth and power. The scepter has been removed from America’s hand. The royal diadem no longer sits above her brow. Yet she does not perceive its removal. The once so called democratic form of government in America has now morphed into a technocratic corporate oligarchy. The gap between rich and poor is now wider here than in any industrialized nation in the world. This leads to those in power creating a culture to maintain their wealth and prevent uprising from the masses. This will lead to the use of technological advances,such as A.I. in order to quell any potential rebellions. America, your once proud land has become a nation of fornicators , whiners, complainers, abusers, murderers, and politically corrupt parasites. America’s plight can be summed up in one Phrase. ICHABOD : THE GLORY OF THE LORD HAS DEPARTED. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster Bill Gates, 2021-02-16 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NATIONAL BESTSELLER In this urgent, singularly authoritative book, Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical--and accessible--plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid an irreversible climate catastrophe. Bill Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change. With the help and guidance of experts in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, political science and finance, he has focused on exactly what must be done in order to stop the planet's slide toward certain environmental disaster. In this book, he not only gathers together all the information we need to fully grasp how important it is that we work toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases but also details exactly what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal. He gives us a clear-eyed description of the challenges we face. He describes the areas in which technology is already helping to reduce emissions; where and how the current technology can be made to function more effectively; where breakthrough technologies are needed, and who is working on these essential innovations. Finally, he lays out a concrete plan for achieving the goal of zero emissions--suggesting not only policies that governments should adopt, but what we as individuals can do to keep our government, our employers and ourselves accountable in this crucial enterprise. As Bill Gates makes clear, achieving zero emissions will not be simple or easy to do, but by following the guidelines he sets out here, it is a goal firmly within our reach. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Emerging Policy Issues in Synthetic Biology OECD, 2014-06-04 This book examines policy issues in synthetic biology including R&D funding, company investment, PPP arrangements and innovative financing, infrastructure requirements, education and training, intellectual property (IP), regulation, and public engagement. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Science and Democracy Stephen Hilgartner, Clark Miller, Rob Hagendijk, 2015-03-05 In the life sciences and beyond, new developments in science and technology and the creation of new social orders go hand in hand. In short, science and society are simultaneously and reciprocally coproduced and changed. Scientific research not only produces new knowledge and technological systems but also constitutes new forms of expertise and contributes to the emergence of new modes of living and new forms of exchange. These dynamic processes are tightly connected to significant redistributions of wealth and power, and they sometimes threaten and sometimes enhance democracy. Understanding these phenomena poses important intellectual and normative challenges: neither traditional social sciences nor prevailing modes of democratic governance have fully grappled with the deep and growing significance of knowledge-making in twenty-first century politics and markets. Building on new work in science and technology studies (STS), this book advances the systematic analysis of the coproduction of knowledge and power in contemporary societies. Using case studies in the new life sciences, supplemented with cases on informatics and other topics such as climate science, this book presents a theoretical framing of coproduction processes while also providing detailed empirical analyses and nuanced comparative work. Science and Democracy: Knowledge as Wealth and Power in the Biosciences and Beyond will be interesting for students of sociology, science & technology studies, history of science, genetics, political science, and public administration. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Controligarchs Seamus Bruner, 2023-11-14 Nationally acclaimed investigative journalist Seamus Bruner reveals how billionaires like Bill Gates, George Soros, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg plan to control every aspect of daily life—from food and energy to reproduction and your personal data. Imagine a world in which you own nothing and rent everything. Most of the protein in your diet comes from bugs, while lab-grown meats are a rare, expensive delicacy. You are not allowed to have more than one child, and your financial and medical data are instantly transferred to a centralized government database via a subdermal microchip. Controligarchs warns that this will be our existence if the supranational elites of the World Economic Forum get their way. Bruner, the Director of Research at the Government Accountability Institute led by famed investigator Peter Schweizer, presents a mountain of original research and reveals shocking new evidence that shows their sinister agenda will soon become reality. For example, the Controligarchs are: Funding eugenics research that will allow them to pre-determine their children’s traits, creating a new caste system in which the ultrawealthy are able to hack their own biology—augmenting their intelligence with AI—to become superhuman or, they hope, immortal Bagging billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded crony stimulus and other forms of inflation-inducing corporate welfare that has allowed this tiny elite faction to double their net worth—adding trillions of dollars to their collective holdings—while the middle and lower classes work harder to earn less Planning for “the next pandemic,” which means reinstating their lockdowns, implementing new waves of small business closures, and, ultimately, consolidating the ownership—of everything—into fewer and fewer hands Bruner offers a gripping and groundbreaking look into the shadowy meetings and sweetheart deals behind global social-engineering efforts, proving that, despite their stated intentions, we must never cede control of our lives to billionaires. Amidst daily disasters ranging from bank collapses to disease outbreaks to food and energy crises—each caused or exacerbated by the expert class—this page-turning investigation into the global elite is a must read. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Synthetic Biology for Therapeutics Urartu Ozgur Safak Seker, 2024-11-18 Synthetic biology is enabling scientists to use engineered genetic circuits in the cells as the basis for the development of new living therapeutics and as a powerful new weapon in the fight against diseases, especially cancer. Bacteria-mediated therapy is a promising alternative cancer treatment. The book covers the recent developments of cellular therapies from a synthetic biology perspective including engineered microbial therapies, CAR-T therapies etc. and is an indispensable guide to scientists in both biotechnology and medicine. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Saved by Science Mark J. Poznansky, 2020-09-22 How can we accelerate the development of vaccines? How do we feed three billion people when 12 million died of hunger in 2019? Does synthetic biology hold the answer? With all the advances in science in the last century, why are there still so many infectious diseases? Why haven’t we found cures for difficult cancers? Why hasn’t any major progress been made in the treatment of mental illness? And how do we intend to stop, and not only that but reverse, global warming and the climate crisis? In Saved by Science, scientist Mark Poznansky examines the many crises facing humanity while encouraging us with the promise of an emerging solution: synthetic biology. This is the science of building simple organisms, or “biological apps,” to make manufacturing greener energy production more sustainable, agriculture more robust, and medicine more powerful and precise. Synthetic biology is the marriage of the digital revolution with a revolution in biology and genomics; some have even called it “the fourth industrial revolution.” Accessible and informative, Saved by Science provides readers with hope for the future if we trust in and support the future of science. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Synthetic Biology 2020: Frontiers in Risk Analysis and Governance Benjamin D. Trump, Christopher L. Cummings, Jennifer Kuzma, Igor Linkov, 2019-11-28 Synthetic biology offers powerful remedies for some of the world’s most intractable problems, but these solutions are clouded by uncertainty and risk that few strategies are available to address. The incentives for continued development of this emerging technology are prodigious and obvious, and the public deserves assurances that all potential downsides are duly considered and minimized accordingly. Incorporating social science analysis within the innovation process may impose constraints, but its simultaneous support in making the end products more acceptable to society at large should be considered a worthy trade-off. Contributing authors in this volume represent diverse perspectives related to synthetic biology’s social sciences, and reflect on different areas of risk analysis and governance that have developed for the field. Such perspectives include leading scholarly discussion pertaining to risk assessment, governance, ethics, and communication. The chapters of this volume note that while the first twenty years of synthetic biology development have focused strongly on technological innovation and product development, the next twenty should emphasize the synergy between developers, policymakers, and publics to generate the most beneficial, well governed, and transparent technologies and products possible. Many chapters in this volume provide new data and approaches that demonstrate the feasibility for multi-stakeholder efforts involving policymakers, regulators, industrial developers, workers, experts, and societal representatives to share responsibilities in the production of effective and acceptable governance in the face of uncertain risk probabilities. A full consideration of such perspectives may prevent a world of draconian regulations based on an insufficient or incomplete understanding of the science that underpins synthetic biology, as well as any hesitancy or fear by the public to adopt its eventual products. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Denialism Michael Specter, 2010-10-26 A superb and convincing work. -Malcolm Gladwell At a time when our planet is in dire peril, Americans mistrust science more than ever. Few journalists appreciate what is at stake better than Michael Specter, who has spent the last twenty years reporting on everything from the AIDS epidemic to the digital revolution. In Denialism, he eloquently shows how, in a world where protesters march against childhood vaccines and Africans starve to death rather than import genetically modified grains, we must reconnect with the rational thinking that has underpinned the advance of civilization since the eighteenth century. What emerges is a manifesto that brilliantly captures one of the pivotal clashes of our era. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Navigating the Polycrisis Michael J. Albert, 2024-04-23 An innovative work of realism and utopianism that analyzes the possible futures of the world-system and helps us imagine how we might transition beyond capitalism. The world-system of which we are all a part faces multiple calamities: climate change and mass extinction, the economic and existential threat of AI, the chilling rise of far-right populism, and the invasion of Ukraine, to name only a few. In Navigating the Polycrisis, Michael Albert seeks to illuminate how the “planetary polycrisis” will disrupt the global community in the coming decades and how we can best meet these challenges. Albert argues that we must devote more attention to the study of possible futures and adopt transdisciplinary approaches to do so. To provide a new form of critical futures analysis, he offers a theoretical framework—planetary systems thinking—that is informed by complexity theory, world-systems theory, and ecological Marxism. Navigating the Polycrisis builds on existing work on climate futures and the futures of capitalism and makes three main contributions. First, the book brings together modeling projections with critical social theory in a more systematic way than has been done so far. Second, the book shows that in order to grasp the complexity of the planetary polycrisis, we must analyze the convergence of crises encompassing the climate emergency, the structural crisis of global capitalism, net energy decline, food system disruption, pandemic risk, far-right populism, and emerging technological risks (e.g. in the domains of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and nuclear weapons). And third, the book contributes to existing work on postcapitalist futures by analyzing the processes and mechanisms through which egalitarian transitions beyond capitalism might occur. A much-needed work of global futures studies, Navigating the Polycrisis brings together the rigor of the natural and social sciences and speculative imagination informed by science fiction to forge pathways to our possible global future. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: The Genesis Machine Amy Webb, Andrew Hessel, 2022-02-15 Named one of The New Yorker's BEST BOOKS OF 2022 SO FAR The next frontier in technology is inside our own bodies. Synthetic biology will revolutionize how we define family, how we identify disease and treat aging, where we make our homes, and how we nourish ourselves. This fast-growing field—which uses computers to modify or rewrite genetic code—has created revolutionary, groundbreaking solutions such as the mRNA COVID vaccines, IVF, and lab-grown hamburger that tastes like the real thing. It gives us options to deal with existential threats: climate change, food insecurity, and access to fuel. But there are significant risks. Who should decide how to engineer living organisms? Whether engineered organisms should be planted, farmed, and released into the wild? Should there be limits to human enhancements? What cyber-biological risks are looming? Could a future biological war, using engineered organisms, cause a mass extinction event? Amy Webb and Andrew Hessel’s riveting examination of synthetic biology and the bioeconomy provide the background for thinking through the upcoming risks and moral dilemmas posed by redesigning life, as well as the vast opportunities waiting for us on the horizon. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Positioning Synthetic Biology to Meet the Challenges of the 21st Century National Research Council, National Academy of Engineering, Division on Earth and Life Studies, Board on Life Sciences, Policy and Global Affairs, Committee on Science, Technology, and Law, 2013-08-05 Synthetic biology-unlike any research discipline that precedes it-has the potential to bypass the less predictable process of evolution to usher in a new and dynamic way of working with living systems. Ultimately, synthetic biologists hope to design and build engineered biological systems with capabilities that do not exist in natural systems-capabilities that may ultimately be used for applications in manufacturing, food production, and global health. Importantly, synthetic biology represents an area of science and engineering that raises technical, ethical, regulatory, security, biosafety, intellectual property, and other issues that will be resolved differently in different parts of the world. As a better understanding of the global synthetic biology landscape could lead to tremendous benefits, six academies-the United Kingdom's Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering, the United States' National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering, and the Chinese Academy of Science and Chinese Academy of Engineering-organized a series of international symposia on the scientific, technical, and policy issues associated with synthetic biology. Positioning Synthetic Biology to Meet the Challenges of the 21st Century summarizes the symposia proceedings. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Synthetic Biology engineering complexity and refactoring cell capabilities Pablo Carbonell, Jean Marie François, 2015-10-26 One of the key features of biological systems is complexity, where the behavior of high level structures is more than the sum of the direct interactions between single components. Synthetic Biologists aim to use rational design to build new systems that do not already exist in nature and that exhibit useful biological functions with different levels of complexity. One such case is metabolic engineering, where, with the advent of genetic and protein engineering, by supplying cells with chemically synthesized non-natural amino acids and sugars as new building blocks, it is now becoming feasible to introduce novel physical and chemical functions and properties into biological entities. The rules of how complex behaviors arise, however, are not yet well understood. For instance, instead of considering cells as inert chassis in which synthetic devices could be easily operated to impart new functions, the presence of these systems may impact cell physiology with reported effects on transcription, translation, metabolic fitness and optimal resource allocation. The result of these changes in the chassis may be failure of the synthetic device, unexpected or reduced device behavior, or perhaps a more permissive environment in which the synthetic device is allowed to function. While new efforts have already been made to increase standardization and characterization of biological components in order to have well known parts as building blocks for the construction of more complex devices, also new strategies are emerging to better understand the biological dynamics underlying the phenomena we observe. For example, it has been shown that the features of single biological components [i.e. promoter strength, ribosome binding affinity, etc] change depending on the context where the sequences are allocated. Thus, new technical approaches have been adopted to preserve single components activity, as genomic insulation or the utilization of prediction algorithms able to take biological context into account. There have been noteworthy advances for synthetic biology in clinical technologies, biofuel production, and pharmaceuticals production; also, metabolic engineering combined with microbial selection/adaptation and fermentation processes allowed to make remarkable progress towards bio-products formation such as bioethanol, succinate, malate and, more interestingly, heterologous products or even non-natural metabolites. However, despite the many progresses, it is still clear that ad hoc trial and error predominates over purely bottom-up, rational design approaches in the synthetic biology community. In this scenario, modelling approaches are often used as a descriptive tool rather than for the prediction of complex behaviors. The initial confidence on a pure reductionist approach to the biological world has left space to a new and deeper investigation of the complexity of biological processes to gain new insights and broaden the categories of synthetic biology. In this Research Topic we host contributions that explore and address two areas of Synthetic Biology at the intersection between rational design and natural complexity: (1) the impact of synthetic devices on the host cell, or chassis and (2) the impact of context on the synthetic devices. Particular attention will be given to the application of these principles to the rewiring of cell metabolism in a bottom-up fashion to produce non-natural metabolites or chemicals that should eventually serve as a substitute for petrol-derived chemicals, and, on a long-term view, to provide economical, ecological and ethical solutions to today’s energetic and societal challenges. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Biopunk Marcus Wohlsen, 2012-07-31 Bill Gates recently told Wired that if he were a teenager today, he would be hacking biology. If you want to change the world in some big way, he says, that's where you should start-biological molecules. The most disruptive force on the planet resides in DNA. Biotech companies and academic researchers are just beginning to unlock the potential of piecing together life from scratch. Champions of synthetic biology believe that turning genetic code into Lego-like blocks to build never-before-seen organisms could solve the thorniest challenges in medicine, energy, and environmental protection. But as the hackers who cracked open the potential of the personal computer and the Internet proved, the most revolutionary discoveries often emerge from out-of-the-way places, forged by brilliant outsiders with few resources besides boundless energy and great ideas. In Biopunk, Marcus Wohlsen chronicles a growing community of DIY scientists working outside the walls of corporations and universities who are committed to democratizing DNA the way the Internet did information. The biohacking movement, now in its early, heady days, aims to unleash an outbreak of genetically modified innovation by making the tools and techniques of biotechnology accessible to everyone. Borrowing their idealism from the worlds of open-source software, artisinal food, Internet startups, and the Peace Corps, biopunks are devoted advocates for open-sourcing the basic code of life. They believe in the power of individuals with access to DNA to solve the world's biggest problems. You'll meet a new breed of hackers who aren't afraid to get their hands wet, from entrepreneurs who aim to bring DNA-based medical tools to the poorest of the poor to a curious tinkerer who believes a tub of yogurt and a jellyfish gene could protect the world's food supply. These biohackers include: -A duo who started a cancer drug company in their kitchen -A team who built an open-source DNA copy machine -A woman who developed a genetic test in her apartment for a deadly disease that had stricken her family Along with the potential of citizen science to bring about disruptive change, Wohlsen explores the risks of DIY bioterrorism, the possibility of genetic engineering experiments gone awry, and whether the ability to design life from scratch on a laptop might come sooner than we think. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Programmable Planet Ted Anton, 2023-07-25 Honorable Mention, 2024 Richard Frisbie Award for Adult Nonfiction, Society of Midland Authors A new science is reengineering the fabric of life. Synthetic biology offers bold new ways of manufacturing medicines, clothing, foods, fragrances, and fuels, often using microbe fermentation, much like brewing beer. The technology can help confront climate change, break down industrial pollutants, and fight novel viruses. Today, researchers are manipulating life forms and automating evolution to create vegetarian “meat,” renewable construction materials, and cancer treatments. In the process, they are changing our concept of what life science can achieve. Is this a new industrial and information revolution—or dangerous tinkering that could unleash unintended consequences? Programmable Planet is a grand tour through the world of synthetic biology, telling the stories of the colorful visionaries whose ideas are shaping discoveries. Ted Anton explores the field from its beginning in fighting malaria in Africa to the COVID vaccines and beyond. Covering medical and agricultural triumphs and blunders, he examines successes in energy production, plant gene editing, and chemical manufacturing, as well as the most controversial attempts at human gene enhancement. This book reports from the front lines of research, showing policy makers’ struggle to stay abreast of the technologies they aim to regulate. Even-handed, lively, and informative, Programmable Planet gives a glimpse of the promise and problems of a new biology-based industry. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Biopunk Marcus Wohlsen, 2012-07-31 Bill Gates recently told Wired that if he were a teenager today, he would be hacking biology. If you want to change the world in some big way, he says, that's where you should start-biological molecules. The most disruptive force on the planet resides in DNA. Biotech companies and academic researchers are just beginning to unlock the potential of piecing together life from scratch. Champions of synthetic biology believe that turning genetic code into Lego-like blocks to build never-before-seen organisms could solve the thorniest challenges in medicine, energy, and environmental protection. But as the hackers who cracked open the potential of the personal computer and the Internet proved, the most revolutionary discoveries often emerge from out-of-the-way places, forged by brilliant outsiders with few resources besides boundless energy and great ideas. In Biopunk, Marcus Wohlsen chronicles a growing community of DIY scientists working outside the walls of corporations and universities who are committed to democratizing DNA the way the Internet did information. The biohacking movement, now in its early, heady days, aims to unleash an outbreak of genetically modified innovation by making the tools and techniques of biotechnology accessible to everyone. Borrowing their idealism from the worlds of open-source software, artisinal food, Internet startups, and the Peace Corps, biopunks are devoted advocates for open-sourcing the basic code of life. They believe in the power of individuals with access to DNA to solve the world's biggest problems. You'll meet a new breed of hackers who aren't afraid to get their hands wet, from entrepreneurs who aim to bring DNA-based medical tools to the poorest of the poor to a curious tinkerer who believes a tub of yogurt and a jellyfish gene could protect the world's food supply. These biohackers include: -A duo who started a cancer drug company in their kitchen -A team who built an open-source DNA copy machine -A woman who developed a genetic test in her apartment for a deadly disease that had stricken her family Along with the potential of citizen science to bring about disruptive change, Wohlsen explores the risks of DIY bioterrorism, the possibility of genetic engineering experiments gone awry, and whether the ability to design life from scratch on a laptop might come sooner than we think. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Welcome to the Genome Robert DeSalle, Michael Yudell, 2020-04-21 The popular introduction to the genomic revolution for non-scientists—the revised and updated new edition Welcome to the Genome is an accessible, up-to-date introduction to genomics—the interdisciplinary field of biology focused on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of an organism's complete set of DNA. Written for non-experts, this user-friendly book explains how genomes are sequenced and explores the discoveries and challenges of this revolutionary technology. Genomics is a mixture of many fields, including not only biology, engineering, computer science, and mathematics, but also social sciences and humanities. This unique guide addresses both the science of genomics and the ethical, moral, and social questions that rise from the technology. There have been many exciting developments in genomics since this book's first publication. Accordingly, the second edition of Welcome to the Genome offers substantial new and updated content to reflect recent major advances in genome-level sequencing and analysis, and demonstrates the vast increase in biological knowledge over the past decade. New sections cover next-generation technologies such as Illumina and PacBio sequencing, while expanded chapters discuss controversial ethical and philosophical issues raised by genomic technology, such as direct-to-consumer genetic testing. An essential resource for understanding the still-evolving genomic revolution, this book: Introduces non-scientists to basic molecular principles and illustrates how they are shaping the genomic revolution in medicine, biology, and conservation biology Explores a wide range of topics within the field such as genetic diversity, genome structure, genetic cloning, forensic genetics, and more Includes full-color illustrations and topical examples Presents material in an accessible, user-friendly style, requiring no expertise in genomics Discusses past discoveries, current research, and future possibilities in the field Sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History, Welcome to the Genome: A User's Guide to the Genetic Past, Present, and Future is a must-read book for anyone interested in the scientific foundation for understanding the development and evolutionary heritage of all life. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Bioengineering Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee, 2010-03-25 This report finds that the UK has an excellent research base but is still failing to maximise its potential by translating research into wealth and health. The road to economic recovery will depend, in part, on exploitation of the UK's research base, which in turn requires efficient translation to generate returns on investments. Some areas of bioengineering, such as stem cells, have clearly benefited from strong Government leadership and support, backed up by generous levels of funding from both the public and private sectors. Others, such as genetically modified (GM) crops, are less well supported and funded. This is curious when GM crops are considered by the Government to be safe and offer potential benefits. GM crops are certainly the poor cousin in the bioengineering family, and we strongly urge the Government to signal its support for GM crops as well as improving the regulatory situation in Europe. Regulation of bioengineering is complex and researchers have found that regulations inhibit research and translation, either because of regulatory complexity (stem cells) or a flawed operation of the regulatory process (GM crops). There are good indications that the UK is learning from past experiences in bioengineering when handling new emerging technologies, such as synthetic biology. The Government and Research Councils have recognised the value of synthetic biology early, and are providing funding. The Committee is also concerned that while research is well funded there is not enough forethought about synthetic biology translation, for example developing DNA synthesis capability, which would provide the UK with an excellent opportunity to get ahead internationally. If this is not addressed, synthetic biology runs the risk of becoming yet another story of the UK failing to capitalise on a strong research base and falling behind internationally. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: We the Dead Brian Michael Murphy, 2022-05-16 Locked away in refrigerated vaults, sanitized by gas chambers, and secured within bombproof caverns deep under mountains are America's most prized materials: the ever-expanding collection of records that now accompany each of us from birth to death. This data complex backs up and protects our most vital information against decay and destruction, and yet it binds us to corporate and government institutions whose power is also preserved in its bunkers, infrastructures, and sterilized spaces. We the Dead traces the emergence of the data complex in the early twentieth century and guides readers through its expansion in a series of moments when Americans thought they were living just before the end of the world. Depression-era eugenicists feared racial contamination and the downfall of the white American family, while contemporary technologists seek ever denser and more durable materials for storing data, from microetched metal discs to cryptocurrency keys encoded in synthetic DNA. Artfully written and packed with provocative ideas, this haunting book illuminates the dark places of the data complex and the ways it increasingly blurs the lines between human and machine, biological body and data body, life and digital afterlife. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: The Oxford Handbook of the International Law of Global Security Chair of International Law and Security Robin Geiß, Robin Geiß, Nils Melzer, Professor of International Law Nils Melzer, 2021-02-16 On a global scale, the central tool for responding to complex security challenges is public international law. This handbook provides a comprehensive and systematic overview of the relationship between international law and global security. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Molecular Biology Aysha Divan, Janice Royds, 2016 Molecular Biology lies at the heart of all life sciences. This Very Short Introduction provides an account of the development of this important modern field, and considers its modern day applications such as the development of new drugs, genetically modified crops, and forensic science. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Genetic Engineering Tina Kafka, 2009-07-17 Genetic engineering refers to the many different manipulative processes regarding genetic modification, such as deleting portions of DNA sequence or splicing together DNA from more than one individual. This process can be applied to any organism like viruses, animals, or humans. The use of technical equipment and scientific understanding to manipulate DNA overrides the natural process of evolution, making this scientific advancement controversial. This informative volume explores what genetic engineering consists of and provides a balanced overview about the controversies that surround the practice. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Molecular Biology: A Very Short Introduction Aysha Divan, Janice Royds, 2016-08-18 Molecular Biology is the story of the molecules of life, their relationships, and how these interactions are controlled. It is an expanding field in life sciences, and its applications are wide and growing. We can now harness the power of molecular biology to treat diseases, solve crimes, map human history, and produce genetically modified organisms and crops, and these applications have sparked a multitude of fascinating legal and ethical debates. In this Very Short Introduction, Aysha Divan and Janice Royds examine the history, present, and future of Molecular Biology. Starting with the building blocks established by Darwin, Wallace and Mendel, and the discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953, they consider the wide range of applications for Molecular Biology today, including the development of new drugs, and forensic science. They also look forward to two key areas of evolving research such as personalised medicine and synthetic biology. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Foodopoly Wenonah Hauter, 2015-04-07 “A meticulously researched tour de force” on politics, big agriculture, and the need to go beyond farmers’ markets to find fixes (Publishers Weekly). Wenonah Hauter owns an organic family farm that provides healthy vegetables to hundreds of families as part of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement. Yet, as a leading healthy-food advocate, Hauter believes that the local food movement is not enough to solve America’s food crisis and the public health debacle it has created. In Foodopoly, she takes aim at the real culprit: the control of food production by a handful of large corporations—backed by political clout—that prevents farmers from raising healthy crops and limits the choices people can make in the grocery store. Blending history, reporting, and a deep understanding of farming and food production, Foodopoly is a shocking, revealing account of the business behind the meat, vegetables, grains, and milk most Americans eat every day, including some of our favorite and most respected organic and health-conscious brands. Hauter also pulls the curtain back from the little-understood but vital realm of agricultural policy, showing how it has been hijacked by lobbyists, driving out independent farmers and food processors in favor of the likes of Cargill, Tyson, Kraft, and ConAgra. Foodopoly shows how the impacts ripple far and wide, from economic stagnation in rural communities to famines overseas, and argues that solving this crisis will require a complete structural shift—a change that is about politics, not just personal choice. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: The Mosquito Timothy C. Winegard, 2019-08-06 **The instant New York Times bestseller.** *An international bestseller.* Finalist for the Lane Anderson Award Finalist for the RBC Taylor Award “Hugely impressive, a major work.”—NPR A pioneering and groundbreaking work of narrative nonfiction that offers a dramatic new perspective on the history of humankind, showing how through millennia, the mosquito has been the single most powerful force in determining humanity’s fate Why was gin and tonic the cocktail of choice for British colonists in India and Africa? What does Starbucks have to thank for its global domination? What has protected the lives of popes for millennia? Why did Scotland surrender its sovereignty to England? What was George Washington's secret weapon during the American Revolution? The answer to all these questions, and many more, is the mosquito. Across our planet since the dawn of humankind, this nefarious pest, roughly the size and weight of a grape seed, has been at the frontlines of history as the grim reaper, the harvester of human populations, and the ultimate agent of historical change. As the mosquito transformed the landscapes of civilization, humans were unwittingly required to respond to its piercing impact and universal projection of power. The mosquito has determined the fates of empires and nations, razed and crippled economies, and decided the outcome of pivotal wars, killing nearly half of humanity along the way. She (only females bite) has dispatched an estimated 52 billion people from a total of 108 billion throughout our relatively brief existence. As the greatest purveyor of extermination we have ever known, she has played a greater role in shaping our human story than any other living thing with which we share our global village. Imagine for a moment a world without deadly mosquitoes, or any mosquitoes, for that matter? Our history and the world we know, or think we know, would be completely unrecognizable. Driven by surprising insights and fast-paced storytelling, The Mosquito is the extraordinary untold story of the mosquito’s reign through human history and her indelible impact on our modern world order. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Consumer Genetic Technologies I. Glenn Cohen, Nita A. Farahany, Henry T. Greely, Carmel Shachar, 2021-09-16 Examines the ethical, legal, and regulatory challenges presented as genomics become commonplace, easily available consumer products. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Creation Adam Rutherford, 2013-06-13 What is life? Humans have been asking this question for thousands of years. But as technology has advanced and our understanding of biology has deepened, the answer has evolved. For decades, scientists have been exploring the limits of nature by modifying and manipulating DNA, cells and whole organisms to create new ones that could never have existed on their own. In Creation, science writer Adam Rutherford explains how we are now radically exceeding the boundaries of evolution and engineering entirely novel creatures—from goats that produce spider silk in their milk to bacteria that excrete diesel to genetic circuits that identify and destroy cancer cells. As strange as some of these creations may sound, this new, synthetic biology is helping scientists develop radical solutions to some of the world’s most pressing crises—from food shortages to pandemic disease to climate change—and is paving the way for inventions once relegated to science fiction. Meanwhile, these advances are shedding new light on the biggest mystery of all—how did life begin? We know that every creature on Earth came from a single cell, sparked into existence four billion years ago. And as we come closer and closer to understanding the ancient root that connects all living things, we may finally be able to achieve a second genesis—the creation of new life where none existed before. Creation takes us on a journey four billion years in the making—from the very first cell to the ground-breaking biological inventions that will shape the future of our planet. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Financing the Entrepreneurial Venture Paul A. Gompers, 2024-05-14 Financing the Entrepreneurial Venture focuses on financial management within entrepreneurial firms. Most of these are young firms, although some are more established. The book examines these firms at all phases of their life cycle, from the initial idea generation to the ultimate harvesting of the venture. The book covers firms in a diverse set of industries including high technology, low technology and services. A significant fraction of the cases focus on non-U.S. ventures. Additionally, the issues of gender and diversity are addressed in a number of settings. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: New Scientist , 2007 |
| bill gates synthetic biology: The Nature of Nature Vandana Shiva, 2024-10-17 In an age of climate catastrophes and extinction, we need to turn back to nature and learn, once again, how to live sustainably on planet Earth—beginning with our relationship to food. Four billion years ago, Earth was a hot, lifeless planet. Through the process of evolution, the Earth and its diversity of living organisms gradually reduced the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. About 200,000 years ago, the conditions aligned for our own species—Homo sapiens—to emerge and thrive. But what will it take to continue to survive? In The Nature of Nature, world-renowned environmental thinker and activist Vandana Shiva argues that food is the currency of life, a thread woven throughout the web of all life, indivisible from Earth and its natural systems. When this interdependence is ruptured—as it is now—the conditions for the “metabolic disorder” of climate change and countless other ecological imbalances come into being. Proposals put forward by Big Ag and Big Tech to solve the intertwined climate and food crises will only exacerbate both. With clarity and a detailed analysis, Shiva unpacks the false promises made by technology-oriented, lab-intensive digital agriculture, revealing the dangers posed by fake and ultra-processed foods—dangers to the environment, to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, to the health of animals, and to our health and food security. In The Nature of Nature, Shiva takes a powerful stand, arguing with urgency and passion for a food and climate future based not on techno-optimism, hallucination, and corporate delusions, but on the natural regeneration of biodiversity in partnership with the biosphere. Praise for Vandana Shiva: “She’s been called the ‘Gandhi of grain,’ the ‘rock star’ of the anti-GMO movement and an ‘eco-warrior goddess.’ . . . Above all, [she] is a staunch believer that the food we eat matters. It makes us who we are, physically, culturally and spiritually.”—BBC |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Global Sustainable Development and Renewable Energy Systems Olla, Phillip, 2012-05-31 Over the past decade, the use of Renewable Energy Technology (RET) has significantly increased around the globe. Technologies that once were considered experimental are now being deployed on commercial scales at phenomenal rates, delivering cost-effective substitutions for conventional, fossil fuel-based systems that cause problems including greenhouse gas emissions, expensive operating costs, and global pollution. But these new systems come at a costly rate, and because of this, officials must review their overall efficiency and effectiveness. Global Sustainable Development and Renewable Energy Systems pushes through the boundaries of current research to introduce the concept of an energy management information system, exploring the role of energy for sustainable development. This book goes into great detail describing the benefits of these systems for organizations, focusing on corporate sustainability initiatives and activities to combat climate change. Research presented in this publication includes modeling techniques, software applications, and case studies that reveal how renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and biomass fuel can have a significant implications for both operating costs and environmental impacts. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Planet in Peril Michael D. Bess, 2022-10-13 Exploration of the top four mega-dangers facing humankind and plots a hopeful path to dealing with them through global governance. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Planet in Peril Planetary Dangers : Planetary Solutions Michael D. Bess, 2022-10-13 Written by an award-winning historian of science and technology, Planet in Peril describes the top four mega-dangers facing humankind – climate change, nukes, pandemics, and artificial intelligence. It outlines the solutions that have been tried, and analyzes why they have thus far fallen short. These four existential dangers present a special kind of challenge that urgently requires planet-level responses, yet today's international institutions have so far failed to meet this need. The book lays out a realistic pathway for gradually modifying the United Nations over the coming century so that it can become more effective at coordinating global solutions to humanity's problems. Neither optimistic nor pessimistic, but pragmatic and constructive, the book explores how to move past ideological polarization and global political fragmentation. Unafraid to take intellectual risks, Planet in Peril sketches a plausible roadmap toward a safer, more democratic future for us all. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Disruptive and Game Changing Technologies in Modern Warfare Margaret E. Kosal, 2019-09-27 This book explores and analyzes emerging innovations within today’s most cutting-edge science and technology (S&T) areas, which are cited as carrying the potential to revolutionize governmental structures, economies, and international security. Some have argued that such technologies will yield doomsday scenarios and that military applications of such technologies have even greater potential than nuclear weapons to radically change the balance of power. As the United States looks to the future – whether dominated by extremist groups co-opting advanced weapons in the world of globalized non-state actors or states engaged in persistent regional conflicts in areas of strategic interest – new adversaries and new science and technology will emerge. Choices made today that affect science and technology will impact how ably the US can and will respond. Chapters within the book look at the changing strategic environment in which security operations are planned and conducted; how these impact science and technology policy choices made today; and predictions of how science and technology may play a beneficial or deleterious role in the future. Some game changing technologies have received global attention, while others may be less well known; the new technologies discussed within this proposal, as well as future discoveries, may significantly alter military capabilities and may generate new threats against military and civilian sectors. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: End Times Bryan Walsh, 2019-08-27 In this history of extinction and existential risk, a Newsweek and Bloomberg popular science and investigative journalist examines our most dangerous mistakes -- and explores how we can protect and future-proof our civilization. End Times is a compelling work of skilled reportage that peels back the layers of complexity around the unthinkable -- and inevitable -- end of humankind. From asteroids and artificial intelligence to volcanic supereruption to nuclear war, veteran science reporter and TIME editor Bryan Walsh provides a stunning panoramic view of the most catastrophic threats to the human race. In End Times, Walsh examines threats that emerge from nature and those of our own making: asteroids, supervolcanoes, nuclear war, climate change, disease pandemics, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial intelligence. Walsh details the true probability of these world-ending catastrophes, the impact on our lives were they to happen, and the best strategies for saving ourselves, all pulled from his rigorous and deeply thoughtful reporting and research. Walsh goes into the room with the men and women whose job it is to imagine the unimaginable. He includes interviews with those on the front lines of prevention, actively working to head off existential threats in biotechnology labs and government hubs. Guided by Walsh's evocative, page-turning prose, we follow scientific stars like the asteroid hunters at NASA and the disease detectives on the trail of the next killer virus. Walsh explores the danger of apocalypse in all forms. In the end, it will be the depth of our knowledge, the height of our imagination, and our sheer will to survive that will decide the future. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: New War Technologies and International Law Kobi Leins, 2022-02-03 The desire for humanity and the desire for security have co-existed as long as humans have been alive. As science has become increasingly sophisticated, so have the methods of self-defence by States. Nanotechnology is already changing warfare by increasing capabilities upon which armed forces are heavily reliant: more efficient energy storage, advanced photovoltaics, and improved military protective equipment to name a few of these developments. Some applications of nanomaterials by the military are both powerful and subtle, and have neurological and biological applications: 'devices that can infiltrate electronics and seize control at crucial moments, artificial “disease” agents that can rest harmlessly in victims' bodies until activated by an external signal'. The advance of the use or contemplation of use of these types of nanoscale applications by the military requires urgent analysis in light of existing international law, particularly in light of their potential effects on humans and on the environment. |
| bill gates synthetic biology: Molecular Pharmacognosy Lu-qi Huang, 2019-11-27 This book discusses the application of molecular biology in resource science and authentication of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It also reviews the latest developments in pharmacognosy, introduces new perspectives and insights, discusses the hotspots and focuses in the field of molecular pharmacognosy, and predicts new directions of study. In the last five years, the technologies and scope of molecular pharmacognosy have constantly expanded and evolved. As such, this new edition includes extra content, such as the molecular phylogeography of medicinal plants, functional genome of medicinal plants, and synthetic biology of active compounds. Elucidating the concept, theory, and methodology of molecular pharmacognosy, it promotes the full use of the newly developed technologies and methodologies within the framework of molecular pharmacognosy to solve problems in the field. |
DRIVEN TO EXTERMINATE: HOW BILL GATES BROUGHT GENE …
USA10. Synthetic Biology and Agricultural Interests Although mainstream media coverage of gene drive developments emphasizes Gates’s grandiose philanthropic intentions in eliminating …
Bill Gates Owns Synthetic Fruit Coating — What ’s in
In 2018, the Apeel founder himself also told Food Navigator that his company would soon transition to using synthetic biology rather than extracting its ingredients from real food. 30 So, …
Photosynthesis and food security: the evolving story of C4 rice
Synthetic biology is being used across multiple large projects to improve photosynthetic eficiency. This review follows the genesis and progress of one of the first of these consortia projects, now …
Synthetic Biology: social and ethical challenges - Haseloff Lab:
The aims of synthetic biology include: 1) the production of minimal living genomes; 2) the design of interchangeable parts that can be assembled into pathways for the fabrication of novel …
Synthetic biology josi q7v2:Synthetic biology
“Synthetic biology aims to design and engineer biologically based parts, novel devices and systems as well as redesigning existing, natural biological systems.” This definition, while …
Synthetic Biology
A major area of synthetic biology progress is seen in programming simple cells (like bacteria and yeast) to biosynthesize useful molecules. These products include not only medicines but also …
United States puts Cell-Cultured Meat on the Front Burner, …
How is it Made?” and synthetic biology in “A Brief Introduction to Synthetic Biology.”1 Since then there have been a few notable developments: the U.S. regulators have taken actions to …
Brief for GSDR 2015 The promise of synthetic biology for …
The field of synthetic biology opens up the possibility of finding solutions to pressing sustainable development challenges – water, energy, food, health – but at the same time raises novel...
Between the lab and the wild: establishing the potential of …
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in particular has taken a central role in funding and advancing bio-technological solutions for malaria control, including supporting gene drive …
Bill Gates Owns Synthetic Fruit Coating — What’s in It?
Bill Gates Owns Synthetic Fruit Coating — What’s in It? Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola Fact Checked May 10, 2023
Building Momentum: Congress advances numerous …
Originally sponsored by Senator Young and endorsed by the Commission, this bill would create a Synthetic Biology Center under USDA with a focus on the application of synthetic biology to …
Principles for gene drive research - AAAS
Gene drive technology is being explored as a po-tentially durable and cost-effective strategy for controlling the transmission of deadly and debilitating vector-borne diseases that affect millions …
Synthetic biology: Orthogonal logic gates - Nature
orthogonal logic gates A set of 16 TetR proteins specific for their synthetic promoters will allow the con-struction of complex genetic circuits.
Synthetic Biology - Science Progress
The Gates Foundation is helping drive synthetic biology research out of the lab and into applications by investing in health-related synthetic biology products.
Science Media Centre Fact Sheet Synthetic Biology
Biological logic gates - the biological equivalents to a key component of computers and microprocessors - the aim is to be able to produce biological microprocessors which could …
Our Biotech Future by Freeman Dyson | The New York Review …
Woese’s main theme is the obsolescence of reductionist biology as it has been practiced for the last hundred years, with its assumption that biological processes can be understood by …
Synthetic biology: applications come of age - Nature
Here, we review the practical applications of syn-thetic biology in biosensing, therapeutics and the production of biofuels, pharmaceuticals and novel biomaterials.
Synthetic Biology in the Driving Seat of the Bioeconomy
Here, we discuss the importance of this industry to the bioeconomy and two of its key factors: the synthetic biology approach to research and development (R&D), and the unique nature of the …
Synthetic Biology Africa: recent developments - African Centre …
Synthetic biology combines a number of scientific disciplines and is generally understood to involve the deliberate design of biological systems, using standardised components that have …
DRIVEN TO EXTERMINATE: HOW BILL GATES BROUGHT GENE DRIVE EXTINCTION ...
USA10. Synthetic Biology and Agricultural Interests Although mainstream media coverage of gene drive developments emphasizes Gates’s grandiose philanthropic intentions in eliminating malaria and saving lives in Africa, there is more …
Bill Gates Owns Synthetic Fruit Coating — What ’s in
In 2018, the Apeel founder himself also told Food Navigator that his company would soon transition to using synthetic biology rather than extracting its ingredients from real food. 30 So, even if they haven’t made that transition yet, this …
Photosynthesis and food security: the evolving story of C4 rice
Synthetic biology is being used across multiple large projects to improve photosynthetic eficiency. This review follows the genesis and progress of one of the first of these consortia projects, now in its 13th year; the Bill and Melinda Gates …
SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY AND ITS POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS
These recommendations offer different possible approaches to addressing synthetic biology in the revised BioTrade Principles and Criteria (BT P&C), and addressing its implications for the sustainable use of biodiversity more broadly.
Synthetic Biology: social and ethical challenges - Haseloff Lab:
The aims of synthetic biology include: 1) the production of minimal living genomes; 2) the design of interchangeable parts that can be assembled into pathways for the fabrication of novel components; 3) the construction of entirely artificial …
