1. Turning food waste into bioplastic thanks to #synbio! ♻️
More than $1 trillion worth of food is wasted every year, and to fight this global squandering, this young entrepreneur has come with an idea to make the most out of this residues and give them a second chance turning them into bioplastic! Read more >
2. New #microorganisms with ancient features: like a time machine #synbio allows researcher to explore and understand the origins of life ⏳🔬 Scientists at Scripps Research are using synthetic biology to design new microorganisms with features of ancient organisms thought to have lived billions of years ago. With this approach they aim at answering key questions about evolution and understand how those primitive single-cell organisms gave rise to current multicellular forms of life. Read more >
3. From failing empires to rising industries, and technological revolutions, this is the story of (synthetic)vanilla! #synbio
Vanilla is much more than just a flavour! The production of this beloved aroma has played a very important role in history from the Totonac civilization to our days. The increasing demand for this extract combined with the complexity and labour intensity of its cultivation led us to come up with alternative ideas for its production. First came its chemical synthesis in the early 1900s and more recently synbio joined the vanila history with engineered microorganisms capable of synthesising vanillin in a more sustainable way. Read more >
4. Hypnotizing #microbes to fight against #cancer! Watch how #synbio is used to programme microbes to first produce anticancer drugs and then self-destruct!
These engineered microorganisms designed by a research team in UC San Diego are capable of synthesising anti-cancer drugs at the tumor site. Additionally these cells have been programmed to self destruct via lysis once they have released the drug offering a targeted and modulable option to fight cancer. Watch the video >
5. #Bacterial dyes: Living colours to stain your clothes in the most sustainable way! #synbio
The fashion industry keeps looking for sustainable alternatives to continue producing original and beautiful apparel without compromising our environment, and in this search, synthetic biology has proved to be a promising candidate. Engineered microbes able to synthesise pigments and inks could revolutionise the dyeing industry! Read more >
6. No air? No problem! These #AwesomeMicrobes just need electrons to keep on going! 🔌⚡
A new edition of #AwesomeMicrobes makes it to the Top10 of the BactToTheFuture Stories. This time featuring Geobacter metallireducens, a microbe capable of transferring electrons to metals through their pili getting the energy that they require to survive!
7. The #synbio of Ginkgo Bioworks is resurrecting the scents from the extinct Hawaiian hibiscus flower🌺🔬
Like a Jurassic Park of flowers, the scent of an extinct Hawaiian flower has been “resurrected” thanks to the synbio strategy of Ginkgo Bioworks. Using the sequences of this aroma encoding genes and a DNA synthesizer, yeast cells were engineered to produce the ancient perfume! Read more >
8. Don’t miss this synthetic biology introductory course by @johncumbers from @SynBioBeta!
Synbio is a rapidly growing field and staying updated is key! If you are still a beginner but want to know more about this exciting discipline check out this course organised by synbiobeta that will take place next January! Read more >
9. Preventing toxicity or acting as sensors, this is how #microbes could become living therapies to fight #phenylketonuria and #crohn’s
In addition to their many biotechnological applications, microbes are slowly entering the medical world thanks to their great potential. Acting as living therapeutics or sensors these engineered microorganisms could contribute to fight diseases such as phenylketonuria or Crohn’s!Read more >
10. Starting today another great #Synbio conference: The 7th International Yeast 2.0 and Synthetic Genomes Conference in #Australia! #IYSGC2018
Focusing on yeast and synthetic genomes the IYSGC2018 conference gathered international experts in Australia to discuss during two days the latest advances of the field! Read more >
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