The authoritative guide to ensuring science and technology make life on Earth better, not worse.

Synthetic biology

Woods Hole inlet with boats

We knocked the genes out of a zebrafish—and other tales from CRISPR summer school

By Dan Drollette Jr | Disruptive Technologies, Personal Essay, Special Topics, Synthetic biology

A screen shot of the AMY1 gene from Arabidopsis thaliana, a small flowering plant widely used as a model organism in plant biology. (US government photo)

How to protect the world from ultra-targeted biological weapons

By Filippa Lentzos | Biosecurity, Cyber Security, Disruptive Technologies, Synthetic biology

Seth Lederman, the CEO of Tonix against a backdrop of vaccinia virus.

A biotech firm made a smallpox-like virus on purpose. Nobody seems to care

By Gregory D. Koblentz | Disruptive Technologies, Synthetic biology

Illustration by Matt Field.

Laboratories in the cloud

By Filippa Lentzos, Cédric Invernizzi | Biosecurity, Disruptive Technologies, Synthetic biology

Research on smallpox continues today. Photo credit: Centers for Disease Control

Synthetic biology: A call for a new culture of responsibility

By Ali Nouri, Shahram Seyedin-Noor | Opinion, Synthetic biology

Credit: Nogas1974 CC BY-SA 4.0

Chinese twins are allegedly the first “genetically edited” babies

By Matt Field | Disruptive Technologies, Synthetic biology, What We’re Reading

Designer warriors: Altering conflict—and humanity itself?

By Brad Allenby | Artificial Intelligence, Disruptive Technologies, Synthetic biology, Technology and Security

Plum pox resistant plums, created by genetic engineering.

What’s cooking for climate change? Techno-fixing dinner for 10 billion

By Pat Mooney | Biosecurity, Disruptive Technologies, Synthetic biology

An aphid, on a leaf.

Insect Allies to the rescue?

By John Mecklin | Biosecurity, Disruptive Technologies, Synthetic biology, What We’re Reading

But will they eat it?

By Elisabeth Eaves | Biosecurity, Climate Change, Synthetic biology, What We’re Reading

How do we control dangerous biological research?

By Filippa Lentzos | Biosecurity, Synthetic biology

New pathogen research rules: Gain of function, loss of clarity

By Lynn Klotz, Gregory D. Koblentz | Analysis, Biosecurity, Disruptive Technologies, Synthetic biology