From engineering bacteria that degrade plastics to microbes that produce antibiotics, fuel and vegan milk, synthetic biology is revolutionizing the world as we know it. Soon, this discipline will enable applications that would have sounded like sci-fi a decade ago, in sectors as diverse as energy sourcing, health or agriculture. However, behind these applications, there [...]
From their first uses in the fermentation of alcoholic drinks almost 10000 years ago, to their current role in yielding a wide range of compounds such as drugs, soaps and food, microbes are changing the industry for good These tiny organisms, along with the efforts of synbio scientists and years of research, are quickly becoming [...]
Large numbers of species on the brink of extinction, rising global temperatures, air, water and soil pollution - these and other events are causing an unprecedented environmental crisis that the world is facing nowadays. At first sight, the forecast is unfavourable, and scientific studies point to human activities as the main cause for this shady [...]
When it comes to using microorganisms in the biotech industry, we can say there are two main kinds of scientists: those who work with Escherichia coli in their labs, and those who prefer Bacillus subtilis. These two bacteria species can be considered as counterparts: they belong to opposed groups in the Gram classification, a test [...]
In the last decades, synthetic biology has provided scientists with a wide range of experimental tools to engineer organisms for many different purposes. That’s what we have been doing in fields like drug production, energy sourcing, waste treatment… It was a matter of time for this technology to be used in the food industry! The [...]
Microorganisms that can munch on plastic waste. Bacteria that detect land mines. Microbes that can produce spider silk. Only twenty years ago, any of these applications would have been science fiction. But now, these and more wonders are within our reach, and we have synthetic biology to thank. The ability to engineer microorganisms is already [...]
If you google “E. coli”, you’ll quickly see that this bacterium has a bad reputation. The first results are related to infections and food safety issues. However, if you ask scientists, you will find that they fall no short when praising its advantages. It is one of the model organisms most widely used in synthetic [...]
Here is our selection of the best August SynBio stories from BactToTheFuture!* A new way to stop ice sheets from melting found right beneath them: Antarctic #bacteria vs. greenhouse gasses! Climate change keeps increasing global temperatures that are melting the ice sheets. And it is precisely beneath the Antarctic ice that methane-eating bacteria have been [...]
It is widely known that Fleming discovered penicillin by accident. Viagra’s famous effect was initially just a side-effect for an under-development drug against heart attacks, and one of the most famous sweeteners, saccharin, was discovered because Fehlberg forgot to wash his hands while looking for derivatives of coal tar. You can hear similar stories in [...]
