Archive for the ‘biological’ category: Page 214
Oct 10, 2015
h+ Magazine: Synthetic Biology — The True Savior of Mankind
Posted by Harry J. Bentham in categories: biological, biotech/medical, disruptive technology, DNA, environmental, ethics, futurism, genetics, health, innovation, science, sustainability, transhumanism
Fear of scientists “playing god” is at the centre of many a plot line in science fiction stories. Perhaps the latest popular iteration of the story we all love is Jurassic World (2015), a film I find interesting only for the tribute it paid to the original Michael Crichton novel and movie Jurassic Park.
Full op-ed from h+ Magazine on 7 October 2015 http://hplusmagazine.com/2015/10/07/opinion-synthetic-biolog…f-mankind/
In Jurassic Park, a novel devoted to the scare of genetic engineering when biotech was new in the 1990s, the character of John Hammond says:
Continue reading “h+ Magazine: Synthetic Biology — The True Savior of Mankind” »
Sep 24, 2015
Losing Your Mind? Great Thinkers on the Brain
Posted by Johnny Boston in categories: biological, biotech/medical, cryonics, neuroscience, philosophy, science, theory
Aristotle is frequently regarded as one of the greatest thinkers of antiquity. So why didn’t he think much of his brain?
In this brief history of the brain, the GPA explores what the great minds of the past thought about thought. And we discover that questions that seem to have obvious answers today were anything but self-evident for the individuals that first tackled them. And that conversely, sometimes the facts which we simply accept to be true can be blinding, preventing us from making deeper discoveries about our our world and ourselves.
Jun 25, 2015
OS Fermentation Salon Series — By EcoArtTech
Posted by Odette Bohr Dienel in categories: biological, chemistry, food, health
“OS FERMENTATION events have included installations, workshops, prints, and tastings. The installation includes digital prints created by custom electronics and software that allow microbes to take their own “selfies” and add image manipulation effects to their images based on the shifting pH levels, oxygen, and color values of the fermentation process.”
Jun 9, 2015
World’s first biolimb … By Akshat Rathi | Quartz
Posted by Odette Bohr Dienel in categories: biological, biotech/medical, DNA, education, ethics, futurism, genetics, hacking, hardware, health
The idea is simple. First, they take an arm from a dead rat and put it through a process of decellularization using detergents. This leaves behind a white scaffold. The scaffold is key because no artificial reconstructions come close to replicating the intricacies of a natural one.
Jun 7, 2015
CRISPR, the disruptor — Heidi Ledford | Nature
Posted by Seb in categories: biological, DNA, environmental
“Researchers are considering how CRISPR could or should be deployed on organisms in the wild. Much of the attention has focused on a method called gene drive, which can quickly sweep an edited gene through a population. The work is at an early stage, but such a technique could be used to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes or ticks, eliminate invasive plants or eradicate herbicide resistance in pigweed, which plagues some US farmers.” Read more
May 26, 2015
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Selects 2015 Investigators
Posted by Odette Bohr Dienel in categories: biological, biotech/medical, computing, DNA, education, genetics, life extension, neuroscience, science, scientific freedom
“The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) announced today that 26 of the nation’s top biomedical researchers will become HHMI investigators and will receive the flexible support necessary to move their research in creative new directions. The initiative represents an investment in basic biomedical research of $153 million over the next five years.”
May 23, 2015
Experimental Architect Explores Biology’s Role in Urban Design — By Henry Grabar for Next City
Posted by Odette Bohr Dienel in categories: architecture, biological, complex systems, futurism, habitats, health, science
May 11, 2015
Read This Before You Freak Out Over Gene-Edited Superbabies — Nick Stockton | WIRED
Posted by Seb in categories: biological, biotech/medical, DNA
“The point being, science needs room to figure out exactly what this technology is capable of doing. Right now, researchers have a ton of potential on their hands, but not a lot of agreement about how far that potential reaches.” Read more
May 8, 2015
Chinese scientists genetically modify human embryos
Posted by Seb in categories: biological, biotech/medical, genetics
David Cyranosk & Sara Reardon - Nature.com
In a world first, Chinese scientists have reported editing the genomes of human embryos. The results are published1 in the online journal Protein & Cell and confirm widespread rumours that such experiments had been conducted — rumours that sparked a high-profile debate last month2, 3 about the ethical implications of such work. Read more
