Biopunk: Solving Biotech’s Biggest Problems in Kitchens and Garages
By Marcus Wohlsen
Read by Paul Michael Garcia
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Bill Gates 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 familyAlong 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.
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Summary
Summary
A Library Journal Audio-in-Advance Pick for January 2017
Bill Gates 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.
Editorial Reviews
Editorial Reviews
Reviews
Reviews
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Refreshing and compelling
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Here is a listen you’re not likely to forget. Taking as its source amateur scientists and technologists, we learn just how far innovations in biotechnology have progressed. Because of the rapid growth of this phenomenon of high tech gadgets for making our living for convenient and cost efficient, many might argue we are entering a techno “singularity.” What’s most surprising is that most amateur scientists don’t have the financial means and backing of an organization, so they are left to rely on figuring out how to innovate on the cheap, developing at times tools for a small percentage of the cost if bought in a store. We learn that they are searching for cancer and other disease cures; developing fruits and vegetables that are more resistant to pests and draughts. Incredible progress has been made by these little known scientists in the area of DNA, allowing a customer to inexpensively send a fish sample to verify what its supermarket label says it is. In addition, they’ve designed a device the size of a USB drive that when a biological sample is plugged into your computer, you’re delivered a limited segment of DNA. Even further, for thirty-nine cents a letter, one can send a coded genetic DNA sequence to a company and they will produce that DNA sequence. Perhaps the techno “singularity” is already here?
Details
Details
Available Formats : | Digital Download, Digital Rental, CD, MP3 CD |
Category: | Nonfiction/Science |
Runtime: | 8.77 |
Audience: | Adult |
Language: | English |
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