Synthetic biology

George Church on Synthetic Biology: Inactivity and Complacency Are The Most Dangerous Ideas

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Dr. “George Church is one of the most brilliant scientists in the world,” says Steven Pinker on the front cover of Regenesis: How Synthetic Biology Will Reinvent Nature and Ourselves.

Regenesis is the recent book that Church wrote together with Ed Regis, where the authors “imagine a future in which human beings have become immune to all viruses, in which bacteria can custom-produce everyday items, like a drinking cup, or generate enough electricity or biofuel to end oil dependency. Building a house would entail no more work than planting a seed in the ground…”

These are just a few low-hanging fruits that the tree of synthetic biology may provide for us. So why is it that some scared pundits are calling it “the most dangerous idea”?!…

During my Singularity 1 on 1 interview with George Church, we discuss the above plus a variety of other topics such as: how he got interested in genetics and why he considers himself more of a technologist and inter-disciplinarian; the synthetic biology revolution of the past few years (beating Moore’s Law by a factor of 6); his views on religion; his dyslexia, high cholesterol, and other mutations; 23andMe and DNA testing in general; the difference between genetics and synthetic biology; transhumanism, faith, mirror organisms and mirror humans; intellectual property rights and patenting living organisms; genomics and longevity…

My two favorite quotes from Dr. Church are:

Inactivity and complacency are the most dangerous ideas… and assuming things will be fine if we do nothing.

We should not assume things will stay the way they are. Or that inactivity is the right path.

As always you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down and watch the video interview in full. To show your support you can write a review on iTunes, make a direct donation, or become a patron on Patreon.

 

Who is George Church?

George Church is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, Director of  PersonalGenomes.org, providing the world’s only open-access information on human Genomic, Environmental & Trait data (GET). His 1984 Harvard Ph.D. included the first methods for direct genome sequencing, molecular multiplexing & barcoding. These lead to the first commercial genome sequence (pathogen, Helicobacter pylori) in  1994 . His innovations in “next generation” genome sequencing and synthesis & cell/tissue engineering resulted in 12 companies spanning fields including medical genomics ( Knome, Alacris, AbVitro, GoodStart, Pathogenica ) and synthetic biology ( LS9, Joule , Gen9, Warp Drive ) as well as new privacy, biosafety & biosecurity policies. He is the director of the NIH Center for Excellence in Genomic Science. His honors include election to NAS & NAE and Franklin Bower Laureate for Achievement in Science.

Andrew Hessel: Don’t Fear Synthetic Biology

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Today I am very happy to have Andrew Hessel as my guest on Singularity 1 on 1. (As always, you can listen to or download the audio interview above, or scroll down and watch the video recording in full.)

During the interview, Andrew shares his truly infectious passion for synthetic biology and the unique opportunities that lie ahead of the budding first generation of DIY bio-hackers.

We also discuss a variety of other interesting issues such as the singularity, religion, the promise of personalized medicine as cancer treatment,  the risks and benefits of open-source synthetic biology, and the fact that biology is a dual-use technology.

I have to admit that I was so infected by Andrew’s passion and his unique, open-source approach that I couldn’t help but buy a 20 dollar share in the Pink Army Cooperative.

As always you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down and watch the video interview in full. To show your support you can write a review on iTunes, make a direct donation, or become a patron on Patreon.

Who is Andrew Hessel?

Andrew Hessel co-chairs the Bioinformatics and Biotechnology track at the Singularity University, an institution founded by futurist Ray Kurzweil and X Prize Foundation CEO Peter Diamandis, with sponsorship from world-leading organizations that include Google, Autodesk, and NASA. He is also the founder of the Pink Army Cooperative, a venture exploring open source personalized cancer therapies. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Futurist Magazine, H+, and Wired News.

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Synthetic Biology Breakthrough: Programming Life on Your Computer Screen

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Usually I don’t post on weekends but the amazing scientific developments of the last couple of days demand that I do so.

Underneath you will find a short summary, some informative videos, relevant links and initial commentary by me and others on Craig Venter‘s breakthrough creation of synthetic life.

This first clip is the original press conference where Dr. Venter provides a brief chronology of the project and discusses some of the ethical and potential practical implications thereof.

The Unveiling of Synthetic Life

The second video is the consequent Journal Science video interview with J. Craig Venter about the first synthetic cell.

Notable Quotes by Craig Venter:

“This is the first self-replicating species that we have had on the planet whose parent is a computer.”

“Cells are software driven biological machines.”

Some initial reactions:

The Washington Post says of J. Craig Venter that “Either he is one of this era’s most electrifying scientists, or he’s one of the most maddening.”

Freeman Dyson: “I feel sure of only one conclusion. The ability to design and create new forms of life marks a turning-point in the history of our species and our planet.”

Ray Kurzweil: “This will essentially enable us to design new life forms at a computer screen.”

Eric Hoffman of Friends of the Earth: “We must ensure that strong regulations are in place to protect the environment and human health from this potentially dangerous new technology.”

Bioethicist Arthur Caplan of the University of Pennsylvania wrote a commentary in the journal Nature saying:

“Venter’s achievement would seem to extinguish the argument that life requires a special force or power to exist. In my view, this makes it one of the most important scientific achievements in the history of mankind.”[…]”Their achievement undermines a fundamental belief about the nature of life that is likely to prove as momentous to our view of ourselves and our place in the Universe as the discoveries of Galileo, Copernicus, Darwin and Einstein.”

Socrates: The creation of a synthetic cell is among the first steps on the road towards the creation of multi-cellular “dumb” artificial life. Eventually, that road will lead to the creation of “smart” artificial life organisms and, ultimately, the moment of singularity. What happens then will determine the fate of humanity and possibly that of the universe…

Relevant Documents from the J. Craig Venter Institute:

Press Release

Frequently Asked Questions

Fact Sheet

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