RiAus PDplus: Synthetic Biology – creating life in the lab

What is synthetic biology?  Visiting scientist Desmond Lun explained it as “sort of the next stage of genetic engineering.  Instead of making small changes to specific genes, we’re really modifying large sections of genome.  We’re putting in entirely new traits rather than modifying existing traits.”  In this session we explored synthetic biology with two scientists aiming to modify bacteria to make biofuels.

Themes:

• What is synthetic biology? Covers aspects of genetics and genetic engineering.
• Sustainability – applications of synthetic biology e.g. creating cells that produce biofuels or even cells that can break down environmental pollution, creating more sustainable materials

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RIAus_PDPlus-Synthetic-Biologyl