Amateur biotech is starting to heat up — witness Biocurious, the new biology-focused hackerspace. DIY bio enthusiast Cathal Garvey analyzes the state of affairs:
DIYbio and its more professionally oriented cousin, Garage Biotech, are undergoing a revolution at present. Essential equipment that used to cost thousands is now available at affordable prices, in many cases under open licensing schemes and open to community development. Knowledge of biology, genetics and the procedures underlying it all is being disseminated in ever-more-abstracted forms to make it easier to get started. And soon, even the biological components: strains, enzymes and substrates, will likely become mass-marketable.
It’s an exciting time to be involved in the development of tomorrow’s technology, and sometimes I find myself stepping back to consider what we have, and what we still need. I may as well share these musings with others to spare them the time, and perhaps to inspire someone with the know-how to fill in the gaps and help make this happen.
An Analysis of What #DIYbio Has and What It Needs [Via VoxelFab]
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