Neurobots—xenobots with neurons—show self-organized nervous systems and enhanced behaviors, revealing new insights into how biology…
Browsing: Synthetic Biology
Synthetic biology is an interdisciplinary branch of science that combines principles from genetics, molecular biology, and engineering to design and construct new biological parts, devices, and systems, or to redesign existing natural biological systems for useful purposes. This field aims to make biology easier to engineer and has a wide range of applications, including the production of biofuels, development of new medical therapies, and creation of genetically modified organisms with specific functions. For example, synthetic biologists can program bacteria to produce therapeutics or to break down environmental pollutants. The field also explores the construction of artificial life forms and biological machines, raising both exciting possibilities and ethical considerations. Advances in synthetic biology could lead to significant breakthroughs in medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology, but they also require careful regulation to address potential risks and ethical issues.
Scientists are finding ways to merge biology with electronics, unlocking new possibilities for data storage…
Scientists used light to evolve proteins that can switch, sense, and even “compute” inside living…
Experiments reveal that unsaturated lipid membranes promote vesicle fusion and DNA retention during freeze–thaw cycles,…
Scientists can now design bacteria-killing viruses from DNA, opening a faster path to fighting superbugs.…
A photosynthetic bacterium shows promise in capturing PFAS, offering new hope for microbial cleanup of…
Built from low-powered protein nanowires made by bacteria, these neurons could enable vastly more efficient,…
A protein-based biosensor measures cortisol with high accuracy. Smartphone compatibility makes stress testing more accessible.…
Scientists have created a groundbreaking bee “superfood” by engineering yeast to produce six essential sterols…
Scientists engineered synthetic cells that accurately keep time using biological clock proteins, offering new insights…
Researchers have taken a pivotal step toward understanding how living cells could have originated from…
Scientists have found a way to study early embryonic development without real embryos. Using CRISPR,…
For decades, scientists have explored the potential of bacteria in fighting cancer, but safety and…
New research shows that fluctuating environmental conditions helped chemical mixtures self-organize and evolve in structured…
The discovery opens up opportunities to study the therapeutic properties of ibogaine and related compounds.…
Yale researchers have created “Ochre,” a genomically recoded organism that enables the production of synthetic…
Rice lab pioneers an assembly kit for synthetic sense-and-respond circuits in human cells. Rice University…
QUT researchers created a biosensor using engineered proteins to detect and extract rare earth elements,…