S&S: Technology
- Engineering and ethical perspectives in synthetic biologyRigorous, robust and predictable designs, public engagement and a modern ethical framework are vital to the continued success of synthetic biology.
Rigorous, robust and predictable designs, public engagement and a modern ethical framework are vital to the continued success of synthetic biology.
- James Anderson1,
- Natalja Strelkowa2,
- Guy‐Bart Stan2,
- Thomas Douglas3,
- Julian Savulescu3,
- Mauricio Barahona4 and
- Antonis Papachristodoulou5
- 1 Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, UK
- 2 Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, UK
- 3 Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford, UK
- 4 Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London, UK
- 5 Department of Engineering Science and the Oxford Centre for Integrative Systems Biology, University of Oxford, UK
The applications of synthetic biology will involve the release of artificial life forms into the environment. These organisms will present unique safety challenges that need to be addressed by researchers and regulators to win public engagement and support
- Copyright © 2012 European Molecular Biology Organization
This is an open‐access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. This license does not permit commercial exploitation without specific permission.
- Reply to J.N. Perry et al
The authors of “The anglerfish deception” respond to the criticism of their article.
- Copyright © 2012 European Molecular Biology Organization
- Response to “The anglerfish deception”
- Joe N Perry1,
- Salvatore Arpaia2,
- Detlef Bartsch3,
- Jozsef Kiss4,
- Antoine Messéan5,
- Marco Nuti6,
- Jeremy B Sweet7 and
- Christoph C Tebbe8
- 1 Oaklands Barn, Lug's Lane, Broome, Norfolk, UK
- 2 Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Environment, Research Centre Trisaia, Rotondella, Italy
- 3 Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, Berlin, Germany
- 4 Szent István University, Plant Protection Institute, Gödöllõ, Hungary
- 5 INRA, Unité Eco‐Innov, BP1 Campus de Grignon, Thiveral‐Grignon, France
- 6 Università di Pisa, Facoltà di Agraria, Dipartimento di Biologia delle Piante Agrarie, Pisa, Italy
- 7 Sweet Environmental Consultants, Willingham, UK
- 8 Heinrich von Thünen‐Institute, Institute for Biodiversity, Braunschweig, Germany
The correspondents argue that “The anglerfish deception” contains omissions, errors, misunderstandings and misinterpretations.
- Copyright © 2012 European Molecular Biology Organization
- Back down to EarthEven if it has not yet lived up to its promises, systems biology has now matured and is about to deliver its first results
Even if it has not yet lived up to its promises, systems biology has now matured and is about to deliver its first results
Despite not yet living up to the early hype, systems biology has become an integral component of biological research and should soon yield its first tangible results.
- Copyright © 2012 European Molecular Biology Organization
- Sperm counts and fertility in men: a rocky road aheadScience & Society Series on Sex and Science
Science & Society Series on Sex and Science
- Richard M Sharpe1
Declining sperm counts and the increasing average age of first‐time parents spell trouble for human fertility, especially when set against the backdrop of ageing populations.
- Copyright © 2012 European Molecular Biology Organization
- Wildlife forensicsGenomics has become a powerful tool to inform conservation measures
Genomics has become a powerful tool to inform conservation measures
Genomics has become a powerful tool for conservationists to track individual animals, analyse populations and inform conservation management. But as helpful as these techniques are, they are not a substitute for stricter measures to protect threatened species.
- Copyright © 2012 European Molecular Biology Organization
- Research and practice coming togetherThe advent of personalized medicine is bringing clinical research and practice closer together
The advent of personalized medicine is bringing clinical research and practice closer together
Clinical research and clinical practice have been separated for too long. They need to be brought together again to improve health care and better benefit patients.
- Copyright © 2012 European Molecular Biology Organization
- Synthetic biology's flywheel
- Antoine Danchin1
Producing drugs and chemicals efficiently from cells remains a major challenge. Synthetic biologists need to invent the equivalents of the crank and flywheel to improve productivity.
- Copyright © 2012 European Molecular Biology Organization
- When life gets physicalQuantum effects in selected biological systems have been confirmed experimentally, but how widespread is their role remains unclear
Quantum effects in selected biological systems have been confirmed experimentally, but how widespread is their role remains unclear
- Andrea Rinaldi1
Does the spin of an electron allow birds to see the Earth's magnetic field? Andrea Rinaldi investigates the influence of quantum events in the biological world.
- Copyright © 2011 European Molecular Biology Organization
- The return of the phageTechnological advances enable scientists to engineer and use phages to treat a wide range of diseases including cancer
Technological advances enable scientists to engineer and use phages to treat a wide range of diseases including cancer
Phages have been used to treat infectious diseases since their discovery nearly a century ago. Modern sequencing and genetic engineering technologies now enable researchers to vastly expand the use of phages as general drug delivery vehicles.
- Copyright © 2012 European Molecular Biology Organization
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