One of the most extraordinary scientific and technological breakthroughs of our our time has been the emergence of synthetic biology. Simply put, synthetic biology refers to both the design and fabrication of biological systems that do not exist in the natural world, and the redesign and fabrication of existing systems. This opens up a plethora of exciting possibilities for the future of medical science, ecology and bio-engineering. Synthetic biology offers up exciting opportunities to redesign the human body and improve upon some of the design faults that have been the source of considerable human pain and discomfort (think of appendicitus, wisdom teeth, the male prostate gland or cancer cells). Synthetic biology presents us with the chance to design the kind of biological ecosystem we would prefer to live in. Needless to add, synthetic biology also brings with it opportunities for exploitation and harm (think of deadly dangerous viruses, or organisms that are maladapted to the environment in which they are released). But whatever risks or challenges are faced within this field, synthetic biology will be an extremely exciting field in the future. The video below is interesting and informative in this regard.
No comments:
Post a Comment